Accounts of living in Yellowknife (a work in progress, this site and my life)

Monday, May 29, 2006

I have to??

Play ball tonight at 9pm. The fields here have no lights, because it will be light until after 11 anyway. Imagine that. It doesn't get dark it gets dim.

No post yesterday because I was working on my Masters applicaton. I have jumped through hoop 1 of 4 at work to get this thing rolling and approved. Hopefully it is smooth sailing from here to approval of my funding.

This weekend was nice on saturday so i went biking for hours and hours. Toured around some hiking trails, beaches, and a territorial park. No pics because i cant take my camera as gravity is a bitch and i always lose my fights with it by repeatedly falling on my face. Sunday also went biking.

Friday night was my slo-pitch teams 1st game. We lost 2-22. Yes we are that good. I had a 100% batting average and account for 50% of this seasons score for my team. Yes I am that good. Tonight maybe we'll do better? I doubt it. But how we could do worse Im not sure.

This coming friday/saturday I am volunteered for the Relay for Life. I hate that sort of thing and would rather just give money. Its me, 1 other guy, and a bunch of middle aged women from work and we have to run/walk/canter/trot/or otherwise travel around a track for 11 hours starting at 7pm (We do get to take turns however). For this i give up my friday night.

I say "I am" volunteered as I had no choice in the matter and now have to beg for donations. So, because you feel bad for me and want to contribute to cancer research you should make a pledge online for me at http://www.cancer.ca/relayforlife/0,3707,153958574,00.html and if that doesnt work try www.cancer.ca and follow the links.

So as I mentioned, no pictures but you can give me money for cancer. And I am a liar.... here's a picture.

Continuing the 1 year ago today posts is this picture of Cannes where I roasted all day until getting on a sleeper train to head to Paris. I could use a week of beach.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Was your 24 better than mine?

Likely. This long weekend paraded in front of me demanding to be used. It shouted and screamed but all I did was lay about, go biking, break and subsequently fix my bike, drink beer and bbq, wallow about on a rainy saturday, become listless and go for a hike on a grey sunday.

As I write I should stop listening to depressing music... "Sigur Ross? You make me waaaay tooooo zooooned ooouuut."

So, there is no snow but there is no sun for the clouds. Today's temp made it down to 3C but the weather page said it felt like -1c. Its weekends like this when I miss the sunny days of yore at cottages of friends in Ontario. Also, on the topic of yesteryear - one year to this day saw me in sunbaked Florence trying my best not to come home.

I went biking this weekend at the X-country skiclub and took the wrong trail which deadended at the back bay on great slave lake. I had to climb a 100ft cliff/hill with my bike. Apparently, in the winter the lakes freeze and you can ski across them. Not so in the spring, but i did manage to only fall off once. Also, ran into a fox while biking (figuratively). It would run then stop until i got too close and then run again. Did this for a while and then just decided to keep on going.

Everyone keeps telling me not to get into a fight with the bears here. I keep telling them I dont intend to. Also, given how we start summer hours at work tomorrow I like to talk about how I will be a half hour late every day until they switch back in the fall.

A street terminated at the Duomo is an altogethe quintessential Florence view. I'm trying to get them to recreate Florence in Yellowknife, but they keep saying there arent enough Italians.

1 year ago those of us lucky enough were watering at this trough in Florence across the square form the Duomo. How we got here from there is a foggy mystery.

On today's walk some trees had lichen all over them. I wondered how they liked it, I am pretty sure I wouldn't.

My diminutive self vs. this vast expanse.

That lake is called Bighill Lake. I guess because of the big hill.

I finally found that for which I was so intensely searching: more trees.

This tree reminds me of myself when I was that age (as if I am making sense). But, a gnarly picture nontheless, dude.

This contrast between the dead burnt tree and the white birch caught my eye.

I reckon this is lichen. Did you know you could make a living studying lichen as a lichenologist?

Lake and Ducks that are too small to see in this pic - They been spending most their lives. Living in a duck's paradise (to the tune of Gangsta's Paradise: Coolio)

Can you eat this?

Sunday, May 14, 2006

What kind of animal?

Has poo that looks like all-bran? I wish I knew. This update is all about europe, people, poo, and that guy- but not in that order.

Work continues and it gets warmer and brighter. Because of the light I sleep less and less, which I seem to be adapting well to. I just cant stand wasting daylight, even when there is almost 20 hrs of it.

I was asked by a friend if I was tired of Yellowknife yet. The answer is not quite. Things are changing so fast that I havent even noticed the months I have been here. It seems only yesterday I was sleeping through my last few classes of university, but its been 4.5 months.

Well, Phil Mitchell arrived alive from a 24hr bus ride from edmonton to here. This friend from 1st year university got into town friday at 11pm. Luckily the ferry had started running as of that day on the Mackenzie river so the bus didnt turn around and go back to edomonton. So I've been showing the town and area to him this weekend before i git back to 'er at work. Its 8:23 right now and Phil is passed out on the floor snoring. I guess he enjoyed the weekend.

So the following are some pictures. Some need explanation like the first one which is a reminder of how far ive come, fallen or gone since 1 year ago when friends and I were cheering the Canada team at the world cup which we lost to the Czech Republic. Oddly enough, today we lost a game to the Czechs. Hopefully just a hiccup in an otherwise perfect tournament.

The second picture is a little random. Took Phil to the Gold Range. While he was taking pictures. The guy in the picture who's not me came up and said to me "You're handsome". So, I immediately, seriously and without hesitation said, "So are you." He thought this was the funniest thing since sliced cheese and couldnt stop laughing. He demanded to have a picture taken with me. We then tried to have a conversation.

I say tried because I couldnt understand a word that he spoke. It was some sort of mash of poor english and native language and beers. At one point im pretty sure he wanted me to buy him a beer - he gave me 75 cents. At another point he gave me his wallet and im pretty sure he wanted to buy us all a round. All this with him slurring and spewing some sort of words at me and me responding with inane comments. It all ended with him shaking my hand for entirely too long while trying to do some sort of jig-like dance. Then he left.

The next few pictures are from this weekends hikes. Went to Prelude Lake today and it rained on us. Yesterday was a tour around Frame Lake near town. Spring has sprung and leaves are coming out on trees. I didnt take pictures of these, you'll just have to use your imagination.

About one year ago in Prague representin our country at the World Cup. Go Canada!

Me and "guy who shook my hand for way too long" at the Gold Range.

Prelude Lake.

All-bran or Weird-poop? Weird poop gets my vote, but i didnt check.

Phil running on rock. Run Phil, run!

Phil took this one. Me on a rock.

The art of Phil portratism.

The art of self portraitism. I couldnt take a serious picture if i tried.

Somewhere near Prelude Lake there's a rock. On that rock I took this picture.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

What are ya?

Tired.

Went for a 4hr hike up and down some big hills and ultimately to Cameron Falls. But that was not before being out friday and saturday nights staying out past my non-existant bedtime. Compounding the problem is that sleeping has become an impossibility.

So, it catches up. Especially since its so hard to convince myself to go to sleep. Its light so late at night its difficult to make myself sleep even if im tired because its still nice out and in the morning it feels like 11am because it is so bright but its only 8 when i get up. It usually involves me arguing with myself until I am too tired to think of any possible reason to stay up and so go to bed. I am not complaining about this, but I will complain when I have to start summer hours at work, i.e. show up at 8am, after may 24.

Saturday night after the bar I came home and climbed a big rock out back of my apartment. This is more like a hill that just happens to be a rock... its big is what Im trying to say. Anyway, climbed and took pics at 2am as posted below.

Speaking about work, because I was. I dont really remember what I did at work this week. It must have been superimportant though, because I dont do anything that is not, obviously. I do remember that the first part was ok and then it got better and then it was over.

Not speaking about work, because I wasn't. I joined a softball team, get my bike from the shop this week, probably sold my jeep (probably because i still have it), need to do my laundry, and am glad im not working in toronto right now (ask me again in october when its -40c).

The following pictures are taken from todays foray into the sort of wild wilderness of a relatively beaten path. Greg and I decided that since I still have my wheels we should drive down the ingraham trail to cameron falls to see what there is to see. So see what we saw in the pictures below. The ingraham trail is like the cottage country of yellowknife.

Thats all.

Ferns growing on the side of a cliff near the falls.

Bridge across the river Cameron.

Cameron Falls.

Top of the falls.

This tree was growing on a 45 angle.... but very much alive.

On the edge.

Climbed the highest hill we could find and this is what we saw.

Water, trees, rocks, sky.

The sky is pretty wide open.

Mosquito? More like acid-spitting vampire fiends. These things are HUGE up here... this one is trying to use its acid to burn through my pants to have lunch.

If I were a piece of dead wood I would want to look like this.

This tree stand was 2 different colours uniformly on different sides of the trees.

The loneliest christmas tree.

Climbed up onto a large rock outcrop behind my apartment to look at the glow in the sky. Its blurry not because I was coming home from the bar, but because I dont have a tripod and my camera is cheap.

Saturday morning picture of the conclusion of friday evening shows a 2am sunrise of a sun that never really went down.