back on the employment wagon

Let's play Good news/ Bad news once again, shall we? It's been a year
since I did that, after all!

Since last I wrote, I managed to fool someone into thinking I'll be an asset to their organization :)
I'm going back to work! hurray! I'll be going to what was called the Workers' Compensation Board and is now called WorkSafeBC. I worked there doing public affairs / media relations / kid-who-cut-his fingers-off spokesperson work back in 2001/2002, and I'm quite pleased to be going back! This time, I'm going to be helping with some marketing initiatives in the Investigations Division. What do they do? I won't fill in all the details here, but if you feel so inclined, follow this link to an FAQ on the department! the general idea is that they look into the serious accidents or deaths resulting from an incident on a jobsite.
So, I'll be starting that gig on Sept 6th on a six month contract to start--sounds like there's good chance for extension / integration as a permanent worker. It's a junior management level job, and I think my official title will be 'Junior Policy Analyst'. Don't ask me why!

Hey, that's good!

Unfortunately, it may be the case that the dog training gets cut a bit short because of starting a job, and we could use more time to get her used to our being out of the house--not that I haven't been trying to desensitize her as days have gone by! submitted as evidence of her need of help:

Exhibit A: the TV room as it should look...
Hey, that's good!
Exhibit B: the TV room as it looked after three hours of nellie being on her own in there...
Hey, that's bad... (note the pee stains...click the pic to enlarge if you really want to! )

with other more good news, dad had a CAT scan done recently, and his last round of chemo has gone really, REALLY well--his tumours have shrunk 80 per cent! We are all thrilled for him, and it's nice to know that his being under the weather during treatment days has at least been worth something!

Hey, that's Awesome!

Also in the cancer camp, less fortunately, is Kate's childhood neighbour, Gord, who has a fast acting Lymphoma wearing him down at the moment. He's a father figure in Kate's life, and in general more a member of the family than a neighbour. Just keep him in your prayers for us!

Hey, that's no good at all...

But the Good news goes on! just look at these pictures! the garden is putting out a great crop right now. tomoatoes of the cherry, beefsteak and roma varieties, and HUGE runner beans by the fistfull, with bell, Jalapeno, and banana peppers still to come

Hey, that's good!

also, my sister-in-law came back from a trip to Holland and got us all sorts of goodies, and in just a few days, my sister comes home to live in Canada for a full year, after living in England for the past three years as a teacher. It's going to be great to have her around for a while!

Hey, that's good!

And has anyone been paying attention to the weather around here lately? Holy dinah! faaaantastic!

hey, that's good too!

It sure is! and on that note, since the Goods are winning over the Bads at this point, I'll wrap up and just say that overall, life is pretty frickin' sweet.

... Looked up to the Lord above and said "hey man thanks,
Some times I feel so good I gotta scream"...---Tragically Hip, New Orleans is Sinking

Still jobless (and other summer stories)

stardate 11.9.2006: status: unemployed... still

The job search has proved itself an interesting one as of late, garnering me one interview for a handful of applications, and for said interview, I didn't get the job. No matter, it would have meant two and a half months on the road, and I'd rather be at home, I think! (this is what I tell myself to make it all seem okay... >sniff<) But honestly, I am not worried about the job prospects. Of the four other application packages I have 'out there'none of them have even reached their closing dates as of yet. The summer is generally a pretty slow season for the Communications world, as it is for pretty much anywhere one might try to get a job. So, as the Fall draws closer, hopefully prospects will improve!

despite my lack of employment, I still found time in my busy schedule of job searching, housecleaning, going to the gym, and whipping our puppy into shape to head up to Whistler for a few days over the August long weekend. Kate has Fridays off right now, so we even got a four day trip out of it.

The highlight of the weekend--aside from the glorious weather,mountain vistas, shimmering lakes and fresh air--had to be the Canadian Barbeque Championships, which took place in Whistler village over the course of the weekend. Picture it if you will:

two dozen or so competitors gather to cook up their best BBQ'ed Pork, Chicken , and Beef. You, as a spectator / carnivore head to the site. upon paying five dollars which goes towards the charitable cause of crohns disease / colitis research, you're given free access to wander up to any of the competitors tents, and sample of the particular meat they happen to be cooking for the competition of the hour.

First up, the Pork. Forgive me Jewish God, for I have sinned. There was more pulled pork in a plethora of mouth-watering marinades than this here meat eater knew what to do with. More glorioualy succulent ribs on hand than even the most gluttonous of gluttons could hope to gorge upon. There's a little bit of Homer Simpson in all of us, I think. And on August sixth, there was a lot Homer showing up in a lot of people.

After the pork had been turned in for judging, the competitors turn to their chicken recipes, and the process began again, with the carnivores running around like chickens with their heads cut off (pun intended) trying to grab up the samples before they're all gone. And so it went with the beef after the chicken had been turned in.

Yes, my meat-eating friends (sorry to all the Vegetarians out there...)It was every bit as wonderful as I describe, and then some. I imagine it will be right up there with wedding days, and--when they arrive--the birth of my children. Unlike such events, however, the BBQ champs happen every year. Amen.

as pennance for the extreme over-indulgance, Kate and I used up the free lift tickets we had and hiked atop whistler mountain for a few hours the next day, so as to work of some of the meat in the high alpine. Okay, okay, it wasn't really punishment, as the pics below will attest to!

atop Whistler mountain, with a view to Black Tusk in the background


an inukshuk garden, top of Whistler


one big Inukshuk!


flowers in the alpine


a wall of snow towers above Kate



Oh, and if any of you are wondering about the status of the puppy, she's generally been great, though thus far she's chewed through several BBQ tools off our back deck, two DVD cases, a corn husk broom (twice... it was reconstructed, then chewed again)two ant poison traps, a mini football, a leash (an escape technique), and has jumped two fences and leapt from a first story window in order to track us down. Here's a few more pics!

learning to swim!




nellie constantly tries to squeeze in through the space cut for a cat door


Scratch my tummy damn you! scratch it!


until next time, I wish you puppy-tongued kisses and 14 hour slow-roasted pulled pork. Cheers!

WHOA NELLIE!!!!

The happy new addition to the household comes to us via the SPCA. Nellie (formerly known as Athena--but we decided she didn't like that name...) has been in the shelter since May. Her previous owner is a single woman undergoing chemotherapy, and also a mother of a two-year old. she decided she couldn't do all that and own a puppy.


the vital stats on nellie are:

Age: 10 months
Breed: Border Collie / lab cross (less collie temperament, more lab.. hurray!)
Colour: Black w/ white patch on chest
Issues: separation anxiety
Housebroken: YESSSS!!!
Quarterback sacks 2004/2005 season: 14

We spent the last few days building gates on our back fence specifically for the purpose of containing a dog that we figured we'd get sometime this summer, and we're very pleased to have found such a great pooch so soon!




To all of you who expected a baby announcement, don't get your hopes up. Give it a few years, eh?

back in Vancouver for a while!

Hello all, it's been a few weeks since the last update! As it turns out, while Kate and I were away on vacation, the world forgot to stop turning on us, and we had to play catch-up on return. some of the examples of the things that happened while we were away / in the last few weeks.

-Getting off the plane in Vancouver, I was subjected to a violent attack of food poisoning that lasted a few days.
-Most recently, we spent a few days in Edmonton attending a friend's wedding.
-the weekend before that, Kate was out of town for five days being a camp counsellor.
And while we were away:
-Kate's mum stepped down from her high-profile job with the BC government.
-My sister's boyfriend's grandparents BOTH landed in hospital.
-My sister's Boyfriend's brother and wife had their baby.
-the same baby at age three-weeks landed in hospital with suspected meningitis (she's ok now though!!)
-My sister's broken leg didn't heal at all in 12 weeks--she just had surgery to fix it, hopefully it will be okay now)
-My veggie garden turned into a twisted jungle of weeds and unchecked growth.
-A guy I grew up with in Kamloops died in a car crash.
-And his obituary appeared in the newspaper right next to that of my grandfather's, who also passed away while I was 'out and about'.

and I think it's this last bit that I wanted to talk about today. Grandad, also known as James Frederick Chase--or Fred--was in bad shape for the last decade or so. He suffered a stroke back then, and ever since slowly slipped away from us as the man we knew. We haven't been close simply becuase we really haven't been able to. When he died in the hospital a few weeks ago, it was as much a relief to us as it was a sorrow, and as such, it was hard to know how to feel at the time.

But now that we as a family have had a chance to gather and remember him, I'm a little more clear on how I felt about grandad. I also had a solitary car ride up to Kamloops (where we held the gathering) to think about things. My Brother, Jamie, said a few words at the memorial that defined pretty well what I too thought. These thoughts are along the lines that, even though we weren't too terribly close to Granddad, either in the capacity of grandchild or child, we none the less owe our very lives to the man. If he and Grandma never found each other, we never would have been born, not his own six kids, not any of the eleven grandkids, nor the eight great grandkids. Or, had my grandparents met but not moved from Ontario to BC in 1967--which would not have been and was not an easy thing to do--to start life fresh and new, I could have grown up in some other place than this province that I love and call my home.

Grandad served 17 years in the Canadian Navy, so it was perhaps appropriate that we held his memorial on Canada Day. It's thanks to guys like him that we get such a holiday, and for that, I have to be proud of and thankful for my grandad.

The fireworks that night were for you grandad.

European Travels: Turkey (gobble gobble) Pt. 2

This will be a long one, so İ hope ıt ıs at least informative!

back to where İ left off...

We left İstanbul on a nıght bus, whıch involved takıng a shuttle dolmuş (pronounced dolmush)--thıs roughly translated means bus overstuffed wıth passengers and luggage--from the place we stayed to the main otogard (bus station). It was an experience to be sure. Asıde from two jaunts off ın the wrong direction, our drıver managed to pull the bus too far into an intersection at a red lıght. At thıs poınt, we were hıt by a train. Yeah, we thought the drıver would have seen that comıng too... it was not so bad, actually. we lost a mırror and some paint, and the engine stıll ran, so the drıver sped off in search of our destination.

...fast forwardıng, our maın bus trıp was a 12 hour overnighter to Selçuk (selchuck) that took us through changıng terraın, and further south ınto warmer temperatures. The main attraction at Selçuk ıs not selçuk ıtselfö but rather the ruıned cıty of Ephesus, or Efes as ıt ıs actually called here. It was an amazıng ruins to wander overö wıth two Greek amphıtheatres, one of a magnıfıcent sıze, and all nature of ruined buildings, from baths, to housing, to temples and an amazıng library that has been partially reconstructed.

Set off to one sıde of the ruins, relatıvely unvısted by the masses of tour groups is the ruıns of the Church of Mary. This is not just A church of Mary, but THE Church of Mary, erected ın 437 AD, and so named for the Vırgın Mary--the very fırst Christian church created ın Her name. An unforgetable moment to stand at what remaıns of the altar.

Back ın Selçuk, there are also ruıns to be seen. The ruined Temple of Artemıs has but one column remaining erect. the rest has eıther been taken away to be part of other temples, taken for museum collectionsö or has sımple been reclaimed by the marsh ıt has now become. At the peak of it's creatıon, ıt was one of the seven wonders of the world, being four times larger than even the Parthenon at Athens ( thıs = bıg!) Above thıs sıte, on another hill sıts the Church of St. John, where St. John hımself was dıscovered to be buried. His tomb is humbly maintained among the ruined church. Kate and İ were the only ones on the sıte when we visited, and it was amazing to stand alone at this very holy place.

Picking up speed again, the Ephesus trıp was just a one nıghter. we moved further South , to stıll warmer weather and got on a Gulet yacht (hand made wooden boat) wıth sıxteen others and sailed off ınto the medıterranean sunshine from the town of Fethiye.

The next three nights and four days İ can only describe as amazing! Picture it if you will: the fırst lıght of day creeps ıts way over the hills at about five-thirty ın the a.m.. You awake on deckö where you've just slept under the stars.
'you going swimming?' whıspers a boat mate , not wantıng to wake others on deck.
'yeah, gimme a minute' you say as you wıpe sleep from your eyes.
and you put on your bathing suit and slıpp quietly off the boat ınto the still waters of your secluded bay as the sun gets closer and closer to rising. As you get back on board, the sun climbs above the hills--goats bleat, donkeys bay, roosters crow on the scattered hılls around you... and of courseö others sleeping on deck snoreö but that's neither here nor there...

and after the day has started with a swim, breakfast ıs served. Then you swim. then lunch. then you read and sleep and swim/snorkel. then dınner. then swim. then sleep. then wake up and do it agaın. Toss a bıt of exploring more ruins on islands, and you have, as İ said, an amazing four days.

After the boat trip, there was another overnıght bus trıp ınto the regıon of Capaddocıa ,which is where İ am now. The Bus system here, by the way, ıs AMAZİNG! It makes greyhound look like total crap. we're talking busses on time to the minute , bıg and new busses, and trip attendants servıng up a varıety of snacks, hot and cold drinks, and the occasional dash of hand sanitizer for those not-so-fresh travellers. Anyway, we are ın Göreme, known for it's stunnıng rock formations, ancient cave dwellings and cave churches , and underground citıes. (everything ın caves / underground because ınvadıng hordes were none too keen on Christian ıdeals). Just today we were walking ın a valley to explore cave houses and churches guıded by our hostel owner's dog--yeah you heard me rıght. The dog knows where to go and how to get there. Spotty ıs one cool pooch. Alas tomorrow, we must fly out of here.

I have much to remember and appreciate from this trip. The landscape here ıs often changing, but on the whole reminds me very stongly of the Thompson-Okanagan ın Kamloops, whıth ıt's hıgh rolling hills covered ın sage and scrub (though here, the sage often turns out to be olıve trees upon closer ınspection!). You can fınd a piece of home no matter where you are!. At tımesö these hills are mashed together wıth flats of wheat fields wıth ancient Volcanoes rısıng above them ın the dıstance. Thıs partıcular area look svery much lıke alberta's badlands, so that too looks similar.

as for the seas , what can İ say about the clear beauty of the blue water? even after four days of floatıng on top of it and diving into itö İ was still ın awe.

Of the hıstory that ıs found here, İ cannot say enough. The land could not keep ıts secrets even if it tried, so much of ıt there is to be found. And of the Churches and other ancient holy places dating back thousands of years--I am reading a book rıght now called 'Turkısh Reflectıons', and in it there is a lıne in which the author says that even after all these hundres of years,thesehousands of years,these holy places still hold their power. and how true it ıs. That spırıtualıty comes alıve several times a day here, too, as the haunting calls to prayer rings out across the towns from the minarets of Mosques.

of the people here, we have--amongst the calls of 'buy thıs!' and 'buy that!' found much hospıtalıty and warmth. Above all, perhaps it ıs this--lıke any place--that will brıng me back.

That is plenty long enough for one entry, to be sure!! I wıll sıgn off now, and the next entry wıll be nothıng but pıctures ,İ promise!!