It feels like I blinked and the days got incredibly longer. I must say, the darkness in the winter didn't get to me like I thought it would. By the time I started to think "okay, I'm getting a little sick of waking up to pitch black", the sun was on its way to rising at a half decent time. Now, by the time I wake up the sun has been around for more than an hour, and it doesn't set until I myself have almost decided that it's bed time.
In actual fact, I find the long days more disconcerting than the long nights. It's very difficult to regulate one's sleep when the sun is always out, and like any good Canadian, whenever it's sunny and halfway warm, I feel like I should be *doing* something outside. At this rate, I won't be indoors until September...
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
I'll Take What I Can Get
I have not been able to stop listening to this song by Lana Del Rey:
I haven't looked, but I imagine that my play count of Video Games and Blue Jeans (below) is embarrassingly high.
It took me a while, but I finally put my finger on who she reminds me of. Well, not Del Rey (born Elizabeth Grant) herself, but rather her voice; it is a more polished version of Kristen Hersh's sound. Listen to Hersh's "Your Ghost" featuring Michael Stipe and tell me if I'm just hearing things:
Of course, those who listened to a lot of college radio in the late 80s and early 90s will admonish me for drawing a link between the alt rock driven former front woman of Throwing Muses and sultry, manufactured Del Rey. To be fair, the two women are polar opposites of one another. Del Ray has been open about how industry executives shaped everything from her look (reminiscent of 1950s pin up stars) to her name (a portmanteau of Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey vehicle). Meanwhile, Hersh and the Throwing Muses made their way more "honestly", one might say, from a high school garage band in Rhode Island to the rock charts of the UK. Hersh, both in her days with the band and later during her solo career, was lauded for her surreal and sometimes quirky lyrics. With lines like "love you more/than those bitches before", I don't know that Del Rey will be in the lyric hall of fame anytime soon.
Still, though, as someone who misses the sound of those like Kristen Hersh and longs for new music in that vein, I'll take what I can get...
I haven't looked, but I imagine that my play count of Video Games and Blue Jeans (below) is embarrassingly high.
It took me a while, but I finally put my finger on who she reminds me of. Well, not Del Rey (born Elizabeth Grant) herself, but rather her voice; it is a more polished version of Kristen Hersh's sound. Listen to Hersh's "Your Ghost" featuring Michael Stipe and tell me if I'm just hearing things:
Of course, those who listened to a lot of college radio in the late 80s and early 90s will admonish me for drawing a link between the alt rock driven former front woman of Throwing Muses and sultry, manufactured Del Rey. To be fair, the two women are polar opposites of one another. Del Ray has been open about how industry executives shaped everything from her look (reminiscent of 1950s pin up stars) to her name (a portmanteau of Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey vehicle). Meanwhile, Hersh and the Throwing Muses made their way more "honestly", one might say, from a high school garage band in Rhode Island to the rock charts of the UK. Hersh, both in her days with the band and later during her solo career, was lauded for her surreal and sometimes quirky lyrics. With lines like "love you more/than those bitches before", I don't know that Del Rey will be in the lyric hall of fame anytime soon.
Still, though, as someone who misses the sound of those like Kristen Hersh and longs for new music in that vein, I'll take what I can get...
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
This Post Could Be Your Life
Years ago, a friend gave me a copy of the book "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azzerad and I loved it. Relying on extensive research and interviews with musicians from the 1980s, Azzerad attempts to convey the impact that bands like Black Flag, Sonic Youth and The Replacements had on the rise of indie rock in the United States. That's all that I'll write about that, because Ryan McNutt is the music journalist, not me.
10 years later, some stellar acts got together to pay tribute to the same bands that Azzerad explored with "Our Concert Could be Your Life", performed at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. You can hear the entire concert here on NPR. It includes (my future husband) Ted Leo covering performing Minor Threat, tUnE-yArDs performing Sonic Youth and Titus Andronicus performing The Replacements. Seriously worth a listen.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Mess They Made
I am genuinely sorry to hear about NSCAD's financial difficulties that are threatening the future of the school. Having an art and design university in Halifax is one of the reasons that Nova Scotia punches above its weight in fostering creativity.
For those of us who have been following this story, however, it is hard not to say that we saw this coming. For me, it was the development of the Waterfront campus. A school with roughly 1,000 was going to be responsible for three properties? All on prime pieces of Halifax real-estate? With what funds?! The new campus made sense from a quality of education standpoint, there simply was not enough space in the existing buildings, but made absolutely no sense from an economic standpoint. I remember people coming back from tours of the new campus before it opened saying, "It's gorgeous, but how are they going to pay for it?"
No one wants to utter the "A" word, amalgamation, and quite frankly neither do I. It is not, however, a zero sum game with the absolute choices being autonomy or amalgamation. There are many other solutions including sharing administrative resources with another school, as the Agricultural College does with Dalhousie, downsizing program offerings, or entering into joint program delivery with other institutions in order to get more students enrolled in their programs.
The fact of the matter is that a province of just over a million people does not have the money to sustain over 13 universities and a system of college campuses if those institutions are not pulling their financial weight. It just is not feasible. No one is going to save NSCAD if it won't help save itself.
For those of us who have been following this story, however, it is hard not to say that we saw this coming. For me, it was the development of the Waterfront campus. A school with roughly 1,000 was going to be responsible for three properties? All on prime pieces of Halifax real-estate? With what funds?! The new campus made sense from a quality of education standpoint, there simply was not enough space in the existing buildings, but made absolutely no sense from an economic standpoint. I remember people coming back from tours of the new campus before it opened saying, "It's gorgeous, but how are they going to pay for it?"
No one wants to utter the "A" word, amalgamation, and quite frankly neither do I. It is not, however, a zero sum game with the absolute choices being autonomy or amalgamation. There are many other solutions including sharing administrative resources with another school, as the Agricultural College does with Dalhousie, downsizing program offerings, or entering into joint program delivery with other institutions in order to get more students enrolled in their programs.
The fact of the matter is that a province of just over a million people does not have the money to sustain over 13 universities and a system of college campuses if those institutions are not pulling their financial weight. It just is not feasible. No one is going to save NSCAD if it won't help save itself.
How About That Weather?!
I live in a place where, upon seeing snowfall outside, one exclaims "Wow! It must be warm outside." You know, because it is generally too cold to snow.
That is a special kind of messed up right there.
I am, however, enjoying the recent spate of warm weather that Yellowknife has been experiencing, and not just because it means that my nose hairs remain unfrozen. You see, once the mercury dips below minus 25 or so, it becomes pretty difficult to "skate ski" on cross country skiis. And by difficult I mean pretty near impossible. There is no glide, which means one trudges along at an unbearably slow pace, losing ones balance and falling at every turn (okay, so maybe that's me more than most). For the past few weeks the weather has dictated that I "classic" ski along the trails. Still fun, but I was missing the pace of a good skate ski.
As luck would have it, the temperature was minus 8 on Sunday, which meant perfect conditions for a little glide. Along with my friend Mat, I met up with a group of people on Yellowknife Bay who were going skijoring with their dogs. Skijoring is when one, on skis, hooks up a dog to a harness (much like a climbing harnass) that is placed around one's waist. The person is then pulled along by the dog. I must say, it is pretty neat to see a group of dogs all take off at the same time with people on skis in tow. As much as we tried, Mat and I weren't able to keep up with the huskies, who were very excited for a romp in the snow. I did, however, get way more speed up on the skate skiis than I have almost all season, thanks to the mild weather. The fact that we were on the very flat Yellowknife Bay as opposed to the fairly hilly Yellowknife Ski Club trails probably also had something to do with it.
Skiing off into the distance on a frozen Great Slave Lake with 5 huskies and 6 other skiiers? Just another Sunday afternoon in Yellowknife. I could get used to this.
That is a special kind of messed up right there.
I am, however, enjoying the recent spate of warm weather that Yellowknife has been experiencing, and not just because it means that my nose hairs remain unfrozen. You see, once the mercury dips below minus 25 or so, it becomes pretty difficult to "skate ski" on cross country skiis. And by difficult I mean pretty near impossible. There is no glide, which means one trudges along at an unbearably slow pace, losing ones balance and falling at every turn (okay, so maybe that's me more than most). For the past few weeks the weather has dictated that I "classic" ski along the trails. Still fun, but I was missing the pace of a good skate ski.
As luck would have it, the temperature was minus 8 on Sunday, which meant perfect conditions for a little glide. Along with my friend Mat, I met up with a group of people on Yellowknife Bay who were going skijoring with their dogs. Skijoring is when one, on skis, hooks up a dog to a harness (much like a climbing harnass) that is placed around one's waist. The person is then pulled along by the dog. I must say, it is pretty neat to see a group of dogs all take off at the same time with people on skis in tow. As much as we tried, Mat and I weren't able to keep up with the huskies, who were very excited for a romp in the snow. I did, however, get way more speed up on the skate skiis than I have almost all season, thanks to the mild weather. The fact that we were on the very flat Yellowknife Bay as opposed to the fairly hilly Yellowknife Ski Club trails probably also had something to do with it.
Skiing off into the distance on a frozen Great Slave Lake with 5 huskies and 6 other skiiers? Just another Sunday afternoon in Yellowknife. I could get used to this.
Thursday, December 08, 2011
I'm Bad at This
I was chastised in a FB message for not posting on here more often. It's not like I haven't thought about it, I have. I suppose in part it's now crippling to try and encapsulate all I have experienced and learned in my first four months in the NWT into just a few blog posts. These things are, as one can imagine, much easier if done piece by piece. I'll also admit that now that I am a federal civil servant and working in a relatively small community, I find the need to self censor a lot more. Much of my experiences have come from my work and I sometimes find it difficult to parse the two worlds. These are all, however, excuses. I can make due, and there's no reason why I shouldn't be posting more. Plus, I love blogging, so there's that.
Let me make it up to you with some photographs?
Let me make it up to you with some photographs?
This is how I get to work. A Twin Otter that takes us from
community to community.
Communities like Fort Liard. It was 27 degrees and HUMID when this photo
was taken. The Florida of the North!
Taro bubble tea a block from my apartment. I may never leave this place.
Downtown Yellowknife in the summer time.
This could have been taken at 10am or 10pm, I have no idea.
The view from the Bush Pilot's Memorial in Old Town, Yellowknife.
A restored Bombardier B-12.
I have seen a number of these since moving here and
they STILL look like something out of Mad Max to me.
First serious snowfall, and boy did it come down!
This also happens to be the view from my office window.
It's hard to capture exactly how Narnia-like the city looked on this day.
Everything was covered in frost.
If you look very carefully you will see that this is a photo of
buffalo. About 30 feet away from the court house door (read: community centre) in Ft. Liard.
This photo was taken at about 10:00am on Sept 21...yes, it's still dark.
My car is officially a Northerner!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Aurora Borealis...in your kitchen?
Okay, so the aurora borealis isn't actually in my kitchen (10 points for those who get the title reference)...nor have I actually *seen* the aurora borealis since I got here. I have, however, discovered how to find out the best times for watching the Northern Lights via Astronomy North. I'm still learning how to read the maps, but for now I'll rely on the girl who told me yesterday that Monday night at midnight will be the next good time, which is really just as good. If I can stay up long enough and keep my camera steady, I'll post the photos here.
One of the nice things about watching the Northern Lights in the summer is that one has to wear significantly fewer layers and not stand in the snow to see them. In fact, save for the past couple of days where there have been ominous clouds about, the weather here has been gorgeous. Mid-twenties and sunny every day. I have been told not to get too used to it, you know, to lessen the blow of minus 50 in January; but for now I will store memories of basking in the sunlight on the patio to warm me on those cold winter nights.
I must admit, though, I am kind of looking forward to winter. Maybe it's the competitive side of me that wants to see how well I can take it, or maybe I'm just a masochist, I'm not sure. But I am curious as to what *real* cold feels like, because after a February in Ottawa where a half hour walk to work meant icicles forming on my nose, I'm not sure I can actually imagine what it feels like to be colder than that. Winter, however, also means outdoor sports! Rumour has it there's a great cross country ski club in Yellowknife (we're short on hills here) and the ice road to Dettah makes a great running route (okay, that may be according to only one person, and she may be far more hardcore than I). Silver lining to 20 hours of darkness I suppose...
One of the nice things about watching the Northern Lights in the summer is that one has to wear significantly fewer layers and not stand in the snow to see them. In fact, save for the past couple of days where there have been ominous clouds about, the weather here has been gorgeous. Mid-twenties and sunny every day. I have been told not to get too used to it, you know, to lessen the blow of minus 50 in January; but for now I will store memories of basking in the sunlight on the patio to warm me on those cold winter nights.
I must admit, though, I am kind of looking forward to winter. Maybe it's the competitive side of me that wants to see how well I can take it, or maybe I'm just a masochist, I'm not sure. But I am curious as to what *real* cold feels like, because after a February in Ottawa where a half hour walk to work meant icicles forming on my nose, I'm not sure I can actually imagine what it feels like to be colder than that. Winter, however, also means outdoor sports! Rumour has it there's a great cross country ski club in Yellowknife (we're short on hills here) and the ice road to Dettah makes a great running route (okay, that may be according to only one person, and she may be far more hardcore than I). Silver lining to 20 hours of darkness I suppose...
Day One
So...I wrote this on my second day in Yellowknife but then neglected to post it. Blogger doesn't do back dating so you'll all have to pretend that you're reading this on July 25th, 2011.
Technically, it is supposed to be Day Two, but a late flight out of Toronto meant that I missed my connection in Edmonton and ended up spending the night. To Air Canada's credit, an attendant had my taxi and hotel vouchers ready for me when I got off the plane and had already re-booked me on the first flight to Yellowknife in the morning, so it definitely could have been worse. After schlepping my two *just* at weight bags to the hotel, I promptly crashed for a too short sleep before heading out to the airport again for what I hoped would be a successful second attempt at starting a new chapter in NWT.
When I first moved to PEI in 2002, the first thing I heard on the kitchen radio of my crotchety landlady was the funeral reports. A man with a very monotone voice reads out who has died, where, and when the wake will be. Every. Day. I soon learned that people listened intently to this report and then discussed it as water cooler talk. I was fascinated.
I had a similar experience this morning in the cab from the airport. At first, I thought we were listening to a standard call in radio show, but then I realized that it was no regular call in show - it was a live classified ad. A chirpy host fielded callers who would explain what they had to sell, how much it was, and their phone number. Their phone number! People talk to one another. Astounding.
Technically, it is supposed to be Day Two, but a late flight out of Toronto meant that I missed my connection in Edmonton and ended up spending the night. To Air Canada's credit, an attendant had my taxi and hotel vouchers ready for me when I got off the plane and had already re-booked me on the first flight to Yellowknife in the morning, so it definitely could have been worse. After schlepping my two *just* at weight bags to the hotel, I promptly crashed for a too short sleep before heading out to the airport again for what I hoped would be a successful second attempt at starting a new chapter in NWT.
When I first moved to PEI in 2002, the first thing I heard on the kitchen radio of my crotchety landlady was the funeral reports. A man with a very monotone voice reads out who has died, where, and when the wake will be. Every. Day. I soon learned that people listened intently to this report and then discussed it as water cooler talk. I was fascinated.
I had a similar experience this morning in the cab from the airport. At first, I thought we were listening to a standard call in radio show, but then I realized that it was no regular call in show - it was a live classified ad. A chirpy host fielded callers who would explain what they had to sell, how much it was, and their phone number. Their phone number! People talk to one another. Astounding.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Royal Madness
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge embarked on their first official international visit last week and chose Canada as their destination. You can view the entire itinerary here, at the official Royal Tour 2011 website, but suffice it to say that I was only really focused on their visit to Ottawa. Yes, I got caught up in the "Will and Kate" excitement, and let me tell you, it was worth standing in the heat and humidity for a few hours just to be a part of what was truly a celebration. The enthusiasm was contagious, everyone was in a good mood and it gave me a chance to wear a fabulous hat to Rideau Hall. It can't really get any better than that!
Of course, one of the most hotly anticipated reports each day of the tour among royal watchers and fashionistas alike is Kate's wardrobe. After scouring the CBC photo feed each day for a fashion fix, a method that drew mixed results, I finally found the website What Kate Wore, which was a FAR more efficient use of my time (or not, depending on one's perspective). It's websites like this which are really why the Internet is amazing. Of course, there are always official statements about Kate's major pieces (the Canadian designed Smythe blazer she wore on the flight from Heathrow is a good example), but many of her other accessories are simply billed as "from her personal closet." This is simply not good enough for the more detailed focused among us. What Kate Wore relies on hundreds of followers who scour the Internet, and sometimes even directly e-mail designers, to identify every piece that the Duchess steps out in. Crowd sourcing! The way of the future!
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