off to edmonton
Back to Edmonton for the weekend for a friend's wedding. Also get to see Mukey there, which won't be pleasant, but I'll survive. Just kidding, dude, I am really looking forward to seeing you.
Friday, it will be a movie-n-beer night, with loads of Mystery Science Theater, with as many friends as can show up to Eric's place. I am really looking forward to that. The move to the hat has been good for my stress levels, but bad for social skills. Not working or going to school, I'm not getting out much, and I've never been what you'd call a social butterfly. I am missing the contact with people. Once (if) in school, I'm hoping that even though I'll be 15 years older than most of the students, that I still make some solid acquantances at the least, and friends at best.
research
To qualify for the previously mentioned funding, I must now do more research. I have to look into the tourism field and find out pros and cons, whether there's any work, etc. What I've found so far is as far as retail tarvel agencies go, odds are slim of finding anything in Medicine Hat, but lots to choose from outside of here. One of the best prospects, for decent pay and perks, and to live in Medicine Hat (but work out of Calgary) would actually be to try for a flight attendant job with Westjet..how bizarre does that seem on the surface?
But on the flipside, when I've flown with Westjet, there have been male flight attendants, not apparently gay either. And one in particular was a big fat ugly bastard who was rude to my wife when she offered to help, when another passenger was having a bit of a medical issue. I could do better than that.
Apparently, Westjet pays flight attendants pretty good, the travel perks are really good, and you get benefits when working part-time, (which is how every starts out there). I love to fly, and I now have friends and relatives all over the country..I could handle using the job as a way of isiting once in awhile.
Who knows..even though the pay is low in retail travel, I would still like to try it, along with other aspects of tourism, to see where I would fit in. There is defintely more to the industry than travel agents or flight attendants, but I'm sure experience in either would lead to even more opprtunities.
As I've said often, time will tell. Let's see if I can get into the program first.
i hate government
Had my meeting with the "friendly" folks at Alberta Human Resources to see about paying for school. It started OK, until I said I was looking for grant programs for retraining, since there are no AV job opportunities in Medicine Hat right now. Basically, I was told that since I have a diploma, I'm already considered trained, and probaly don't qualify for retraining. Since the program I want to take is at the college, they administer the funds themselves, so I need to go talk to them instead of the Alberta people. I was told that I shouldn't have quit a job in Edmonotn to follow my wife to Medicine Hat to advance her career. In fact, she should have just found a job in Edmonton instead (not taking into account that she'd been trying for the last three years). Lastly, she said it's up to the college to accept me, but if it were up to her she wouldn't.
What a wonderful, confidence-and-self-esteem building excercise that was.
At least it went better at the college..I still may not get it funded, depending on whether we made too much oney last year, but at least I wasn't made to feel like a piece of crap there.
If I don't qualify, I know one thing for sure: I will be busting out the old letter-of-complaint writing skills, and complaining to everyone from that cow that I dealt with at the government all the way up to the minister of HR, and hell, ol' Ralph himself, that the programs for helping displaced workers suck, and the staff sucks even worse with their attitudes.
muke
Mukey, where are ya? Haven't heard from you or your blog for awhile...
this week
Did the student-for-a-day gig at the college..I really enjoyed it. I should find out some more details on gettig it paid for tomorrow. In a program full of women, mostly right out of high school, I was told that I have a distinct advantage being maute, and male. Many agencies call up the head of the Global Tourism and Marketing program asking for both of those things, in an attempt to diversify their offices. Weird.
The instructors were all really nice, the program sounds funa nd interesting, and the job prospects seem pretty good overall. Locally will be hit-or-miss, but I'm willing to take that chance. We'll just see what happens down the road.
Saw The Punisher. I remember seeing the tagline for it when I was visiting Toast in T.O. "The Punishment Begins July whatever..." I recall thinking, "How apt. I bet it does..." This movie licked nuts. I don't have much more to say. It could have been just a big, stupid shoot-em-up, but they missed the mark even on that. Glad I didn't waste any time or money seeing it in the theatre.
This week's Smallville was good. Had their re-imagined version of The Flash in it. Man, Mukey'll crap himself if they bring in Green Lantern.
Bought a working 17" Panasonic monitor at Value Village for ten bucks. That's the best deal I've gotten on pretty much anything lately. Wish I could come across a few more of those.
Remember that horror film festival I talked about awhile ago, Exofest? They finally got going in a nightclub in Edmonton as an alternative venue. Well, Exofest ran the first night of their festival, and it ran well from what I read. Second night, a few minutes into the film, August Underground's Mordum,the venue pulled the plug due to the graphic nature. I'm intrigued by twon things, the fact that the venue was unprepared for the content of a horror film festival, that they weren't expecting and able to tolerate the worst, as well as by the film itself...must be pretty bad. Now, I can handle, and even enjoy, graphic violence in movies. What I don't like are the depictions of cruelty, or realism, more than the violence? Does that make sense? I could watch zombies, werewolves and slashers rip people apart from moring til night in the most graphic ways possible, but scenes of cruelty to animals, or rape scenes turn me off competely. I'm suspectig that Mordum was more along those lines. All I can say is the bar should have previewed it and vetoed it before it began running, not during.
old times
It was great to see my friend Sheldon again..he hasn't changed a bloody bit. Except that he said he drinks alot less. :) Me, Al, his fiancee, his brother Rich and his friend Rick, and Sheldon, it was just like old times.
edmonton part deux
I did not come here for this. Goddamn snow.
The room in my mom & dad's condo that I'm staying in while I'm here has a ceiling fan. My mom, not being the tallest of people, has come up with a solution for getting at the short little pull-chains for turning the light off and on.
Mukey, do you recognize it?
edmonton
Here I am in Edmonton, and there's three feet of snow outside. Glad I travelled Friday instead of today. Just got an e-mail from a friend, and hopefully if I stay until Monday I can coincidentally hook up with him and another friend, whom I tracked down via the web, a buddy named Sheldon that we haven't seen since probably 1996 or so. Time flies.
Off to Ikea..aahh, the things you miss when you move to small town Alberta.
well, i'll be
As toast and marmy, and everyone else who will listen all know, I had such a blast visiting last their place last February that, airfares permitting, I am planing to do it again at the same time of year. People came over, pizzas were consumed, Oscars were watched, and a good time was had by all.
This Oscar news blows me away. I never thought I'd see the day. It's definitely a risky choice, riskier than Letterman was, lo those many years ago. I can't stand Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin is a washed up whore who should be ashamed of himself for remaining alive after his latest hunks of steaming, runny, diseased, wino crap, and Billy Crystal, though his Oscar stuff is good, is just so safe. I can't think of any other host out there who wouldn't be just that- patronizing and safe (with the exception of Robin Williams, but although I like him, he tends to get on my nerves, too). I'm really starting to despise anything that safe.
I've always liked Chris Rock, and although calling him "one of the new generation of comics", I suppose for American network TV, which is at least 15 years behind anything progressive, it's accurate.
I can't even stand the Oscars..last year was the first time in ages I actually watched more than 5 minutes. Apart from the Oscar party potential, I'll actually watch it for Rock no matter where I happen to be Feb. 27.
student for a day
Next Friday, i get to be a student-for-a-day at Medicine Hat College. I'll be spending the day with the Global Tourism & Marketing students, seeing a sampling of what the classes are like, and chatting with the program coordinator. It should be a good opportunity to see if I realize what I might be getting myself into if I choose to go this route.
pictures
There's the house, as I had posted before.
Prior to that, here is a sample of what our moving hell looked like..and this was just one room...
Here is a look at the stained glass insert on our front door. This is the staircase, with neat wood posts leading up the stairs. There's just enough wood accent around the house to give it tons of character, and a very log-cabin feel. Although, the living room has this huge wooden thing in it. I like it, it is visually appealing, it's just very strangely placed. t just stops right there, really limiting what one can do with the room as far as furniture placement. I don't think it's structural, holding up the roof or anything, so it could come out, and our lives would be much easier, and the room would look bigger, but yet, we do like the way it looks, and adds to the cabin feel. *shrug*
Here's our front deck, with Meadow looking out at me from among the boxes of move-in hell.
Back yard, complete with fire pit. All we're missing are the people around the fire. Allie's mom was visiting that particular weekend, and we were going to BBQ on the deck by the back door and enjoy the fire, so we got it going well, added a huge friggin log that was in our garage, and it started to rain about 30 seconds after taking this picture.
We're getting more settled, more and more unpacked and organized. I'm wishing I had gotten here earlier in the summer in order to enjoy the firepit more (the season is pretty much over, it gets dark and cold so early). Next year, and by then I should actually know some people to invite over.
changes
I'm changing my mind about the idea of augmenting my AV experience with more computer traiing. It donned on me (and probably everyone else before me) that that really isn't what I want to do..it's more what I expect that everyone expects me to do. Might it lead to a job. Sure, maybe. Will it lead o me being happy and fulfullied? Most likely not.
I don't want to waste this opportunity to do something different. I'm having a hard time thinking o what direction to go. I have some restraints..I mean, EI isn't going to pay for four year and a Bachelor's, even if that was what I wanted, which it isn't, really.
I have to limit myself to a less-than-one year course. I have to be able to take it in Medicine Hat, obviously, because I live there. And there should be a good likelyhood of actually geting a job in the Hat afterwards.
I keep coming back to something I thought about a few years ago, but dismissed after the financial realities (I was working, Allie was not, and the course was 2 years and $5000 per year) at the time.
Now, I see a one-year version of it here in Medicine Hat. Not sure of the opportunities in the Hat, but I believe that if successful, one might be able to make opportunities for oneself.
Can anyone out there see me as a student, and then employee, in aspects of the travel and tourism industry.
I also nixed the idea at first because the pay, starting out, is traditionally low in retail travel services. But, that's not too much of an issue right now, not to start with. I'm more concerned with doing something I want to do, and this idea has always intrigued me, if nothing else, for the potential to travel myself, and the perks that come along with being inside the industry.
Any thoughts from youse guys?
yearning to travel
Yes, it's true, I can't wait to go somewhere again. I'd even go back to Cuba. (We're running out of coffee and cigars. Yes, I will smoke a fine cigar from time to time, and the Cohiba are the best, and we sure can't afford to buy them domestically.
We popped into a cigar shop on Whyte when we were in Edmonton, and checked out the prices. What we paid $27.95 US for (5 medium size Cohibas) was $140 CDN in the store (allie thinks it was $180..we agree to disagree. Regardless, too much for something you just smoke.) The coffe we brought back was real good too. We brought back rum for our house sitters..it was so cheap I wanted to bring it back for everyone, but alas we onle had so much room to bring back goodies (plus that lingering fear that no matter how much you follow the rules, that anything you try and bring back ight get confiscated). I wish I had a bottle to send to tbit and Marmy, in their sick, feverish state. I didn't even bring any rum for ourselves, as I hate rum. Figures.
Anyways, I digress. I'd go back to Cuba, even though my last two days there, I fel sick. I'd go to Toronto. Winnipeg. Vancouver. California. Florida. Vegas. I'm having a roller coaster craving.
I'm hoping to get the family together in summer 2005 for Disneyland's 50th Anniversary. It seems like a lifetime ago that a bunch of us Alberta rubes went there for the first time, and although it was because I was 10 years old and hadn't done anything interesting in my life up to that point, the whole experience really and truly was magical, and left alsting imperssion. It was like an entirely new world, and I still love going back.
We were there (completely unintentionally) for the 25th anniversary. We've been back several times over the years, including the 35th anny year. To be there for the 50th, with as many members of our family as can manage to go, would be tons of fun, esepcially since my niece will just be turning four before we go, and that's an age where she could enjoy it the most, and we could all kind of live it again for the forst time though her.
Overall, even though this whole trip is my idea, I would actually rather go back to Florida, and Walt Disney World, as opposed to California's Disneyland. I got to check out the Florida area when I went to a conference last year, and had a blast.
The Florida area had many more things to do outside of the theme parks, and a much more tourist friendly area around and beyond the hotels, because of the heavy convention business going on there as well. Universal Studios in Orlando kicked ass over the California version, mainly beacuse of the 2nd park, Islands of Adventure. I was in rollercoaster heaven. I mean, they had a "Marvel Superhero Island" section, what more could I ask for?
Alas, for the 50th anniversary of not only Disneyland, but of the modern theme park as we know it, I couldn't imagine going anywhere else. Disneyland has its problems, and it does seem to be slipping in several areas, but warts and all, it's the one we grew up on, and the one that I want to be at next summer.
Maybe I can swing a trip in December, too, to check out the Haunted Mansion. Always a fun time anyways, from October til December, they redecorate it and fill it with "Nightmare Before Christmas" themes. Again, if you know me, you know I have to see that someday.
i'll try this
OK, I know that a $1 flight is too good to be true after the fine print, and that chances of getting a $1 flight both ways will be virtually impossible, but still..it's worth trying. I could handle a $2 (plus about $100 in fees) to go for a visit to T.O. Or Winnipeg. Or..pretty much anywhere. I like flying.
ouch
I cut my finger today. Cutting an ugly eye out of a potato, the knife slipped and flicked a neat little chunk out of the tip of my left hand index finger. Not serious, hurt like a bugger. Looking at it just now. it didn't just slice in, it actually carved a V-shapped chunk, bleeding only from the little wee bit bit at the bottom of the valley. I've neve seen a cross-section of a finger print before, let alone one of my own. Looks kinda weird.
New town boredom is really beginning to set in. I know I have all these plans to go out and look for a part-time job to supplement the EI (as well as get me ou tof the house), and to volunteer, or maybe take some classes, EI sponsored or otherwise..but it's hard getting past the fact that I'm one of those objects, that when at rest, tends to stay at rest. I really need to get motivated and get out there and do stuff besides run errands.
I made jam tarts today..mmmm. I had made apple pie at some point last year, and froze all the extra dough. It stayed in my mother-in-law's freezer when we moved, and found it's way back home with other frozen goods when we visted last week. I didn't feel like slicing apples, so jam tarts it was.
I make a fine pie crust, If I do say so myself (and this is backed up by both my wife and her mom, who says mine is better than hers. Ha.)
1st friday in october it is..I'm good for the next 9 years
And a happy BlogACatMas to all of you as well!
The esteemed Doctor Tongue.
He turned 15 in July. He's old. He's skinny. He's grouchy. He's started kicking the living shit out of a three-year old bruiser in our house named Sal who is young, healthy, strong as a horse, and has claws. (none of these things, apart from being healthy, apply to Doc.)
Doc doesn't care. Sal is his bitch.
