These days I have settled into a pretty good routine up here. Life is pretty much business as usual except sales have started to pick up due to the Christmas season. Mostly I am thinking about getting away on a vacation at some point this winter. I miss snowboarding like its my job so I am gonna go and shread some insane powder somewhere exciting.
Firefighting is going well but there is quite a bit of drama going on at the hall. The boys have been without a contract for about two years now and its starting to come to a close. They had an arbitration hearing recently so they are waiting to hear the decision on that. The city is trying to avoiding adding additional personnel that are required. We are also caught in the middle somewhat because we are neither union or city staff. It definitely makes things interesting.
In other news the major purchase of a trailer closes on Wednesday. I am pretty pumped up about owning a property up here. Its a big investment but an important start to my million dollar fantasies! In due time...
Its Saturday night and I am going to get ready to hit the town. I hope all is well and people are enjoying the Christmas Season!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
New Helmet!
So I have finished the training required to obtain my black helmet at long last... Well it actually didnt take much time at all. It used to be that even after completing all of your training it took another couple of months to earn your black helmet. With the new deputy Chief in town we now get the helmets after completing Offensive 1 & 2 courses.
I am pretty excited because now I can respond on apparatus, fire trucks, to fire calls. I would likely not be doing much on scene but any experience is good experience at this point in time.
The firehall is going pretty well and I am starting to make a few more friends with some of the other fellas on different platoons.
Work is starting to pick up a little bit of steam heading into the Christmas season. It keeping me quite busy but afterwards we head into a lull season which will be nice. It will give me time to prepare for next summer. Get the contest all ready for the summer season and take some vacation time. I am leaning towards a snowboarding trip of sorts. I miss snowboarding every weekend. We have a bunch of snow up here but no hills. Its really quite depressing!!!
I am off to bed, stay well!
I am pretty excited because now I can respond on apparatus, fire trucks, to fire calls. I would likely not be doing much on scene but any experience is good experience at this point in time.
The firehall is going pretty well and I am starting to make a few more friends with some of the other fellas on different platoons.
Work is starting to pick up a little bit of steam heading into the Christmas season. It keeping me quite busy but afterwards we head into a lull season which will be nice. It will give me time to prepare for next summer. Get the contest all ready for the summer season and take some vacation time. I am leaning towards a snowboarding trip of sorts. I miss snowboarding every weekend. We have a bunch of snow up here but no hills. Its really quite depressing!!!
I am off to bed, stay well!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Christmas Display
One of our accounts in town here approached us about putting up a display in their store for the Christmas season. Well today at work we built one heck of a display! Here are the photos that show the job from start to finish… The end result looks absolutely amazing, in my biased opinion. Ironically our competition elected to not erect a display which can only help my sales numbers for the season!
My boss, Doug, had built a few displays that have won awards for Coca Cola in Western Canada. So this was one of his previous creations with a few additions. He wrote up all the plans and facilitated the building of the display.
In order to hang those signs up there I was lifted up on a wobbly pallet jack and given some wire hangers. After I managed to stop shaking atop of the thing I managed to get wires all in place quite evenly. I was pretty shocked cause the jack was shaking sooo badly, or maybe that was me.
Our first "house" Cranberry Ginger Ale with the Coke Zero "Eave". At this point I figured I was in for a seriously long day...
Peak two, our Coke village is starting to take a little big more shape. Along with that shape is a replica of the leaning tower of Pisa. We remedied that as best we could with a pallet jack and some cardboard. *Note to customers - Don't loiter under the sprite roof!!!
Doug hard at work facilitating!
Starting to look even better but still impossible to shop off of just yet. I can't even count how many customers made the joke:
"I want that one on the bottom"
Hardy har har har... Hilarious!
Slowly but surely things are starting to come together for the village people...
Santa makes his appearance atop of the Cran Ale house. His sleigh is over at the neighbours. Just a hop skip and a jump away. Now that the display is built, we need product that is easily accessible to our customers. Plus how are the coke village people going to look outside their houses to check on the weather?
Windows! Beautifully created by one lucky lady... Wink, wink, nudge, nudge! I think they really make the whole village come together nicely. Handcrafted as well... Can't find those on the POS website, trust me, I looked!
The product "waterfall" is being installed. These are the products that we want our customers to purchase. With any luck they will leave our roof tops alone!!!
Here are the two masterminds behind this glorious display putting the final touches on it... We're still missing price signage though.
The End Result!!!!
Start time 7:00 AM
Finish time 2:45 PM
It was actually much quicker than we had anticipated. I think that is because this has previously been built so Doug had it all planned out perfectly.
I am off to bed, tomorrow is the Santa Claus Parade and I am planning on being the star of the show hanging off the fire trucks...
Fire Fighting Photos...
Decked out in full gear. Its hard to even tell who is who once we are all geared up. We ran the stairs about 15 times that day. Quite tiring the say the least! At least with all this working out the six pack is about to return after a beerful absence...
This is probably after one of the many trips were took up the stairs. Somedays I am pretty sure that some of our more experienced Paid on Calls enjoy putting us through the paces. Next year it will be me and I am quite pleased about that! Maybe I'll take it easy on the new fellas, but I doubt it!
My Japanese pose... Peace out homies!
This makes me smile everytime I come into the hall. My own locker with a name on it... Our helmits are still yellow with duct tape name tags but that will all change after we pass our offensive 1 and 2 tests. Black helmits simply look waaay cooler...
This was the evening that was mentioned in the previous post. We pretty much demolished that place as much as we possibly could. A good time was had by all but more importantly, we learned a lot!
Here is Sammy. He is quite an interesting little fella. He actually works for the competition here in town and his mouth is flapping a mile a minute, all the time. His nickname around the hall is Mamma. He didn't remember the phonetic alphabet quite right... M = MIKE, not MAMMA.
Here I am practicing donning my turn out gear. Each time we are timed and we gotta have all of our equipment and SCBA on in less than two minutes. Slowly but surely we're getting quicker at this. It's little things that save seconds and essentially lives.
Here's our favorite instructor. About once a day he comes out with a killer joke that we all have a good laugh over. At that moment everyone loves Ingo. The rest of the time, we are just trying to get through class...
It's a little tight under there. I am still trying to get over the claustrophobia issues... The first time I was crawling under the truck I got stuck and pretty much started to hyperventilate. I have since calmed down quite a bit... I am still sucking back about half a tank each trip!
This is probably after one of the many trips were took up the stairs. Somedays I am pretty sure that some of our more experienced Paid on Calls enjoy putting us through the paces. Next year it will be me and I am quite pleased about that! Maybe I'll take it easy on the new fellas, but I doubt it!
My Japanese pose... Peace out homies!
This makes me smile everytime I come into the hall. My own locker with a name on it... Our helmits are still yellow with duct tape name tags but that will all change after we pass our offensive 1 and 2 tests. Black helmits simply look waaay cooler...
This was the evening that was mentioned in the previous post. We pretty much demolished that place as much as we possibly could. A good time was had by all but more importantly, we learned a lot!
Here is Sammy. He is quite an interesting little fella. He actually works for the competition here in town and his mouth is flapping a mile a minute, all the time. His nickname around the hall is Mamma. He didn't remember the phonetic alphabet quite right... M = MIKE, not MAMMA.
Here I am practicing donning my turn out gear. Each time we are timed and we gotta have all of our equipment and SCBA on in less than two minutes. Slowly but surely we're getting quicker at this. It's little things that save seconds and essentially lives.
Here's our favorite instructor. About once a day he comes out with a killer joke that we all have a good laugh over. At that moment everyone loves Ingo. The rest of the time, we are just trying to get through class...
It's a little tight under there. I am still trying to get over the claustrophobia issues... The first time I was crawling under the truck I got stuck and pretty much started to hyperventilate. I have since calmed down quite a bit... I am still sucking back about half a tank each trip!
Fire Marshal Bill, Er... Richard
This is taken from an e-mail that I recently sent out:
At long last someone brought a camera out to our Wednesday night practice. We have been using an abandoned staff housing building from one of the old mines in town to practice on. The land has since been reclaimed by the aboriginals and must be returned to the state it was in when it was taken in 1937. All the structures are being taken down since they haven’t been around since ‘37. Before they are demolished though the fire department has a chance to use them for training purposes...
What did we learn that night?
Every window in
BBQ throwing off of balconies should be a sport!
Windows, well they were made to be broken.
Brick walls can be broken, so can sledge hammers.
Chainsaws can pretty much get through anything!
Sadly in this photo my face is not overly visible because of the frost on my shield. It is actually me and I am not trying to impersonate anyone! I am cutting through the outside wall of the building extending the window down to the ground.
That was probably one of the most fun practices that I have been to. Most of the older guys were telling us that the training like that happens about once a year. The adrenaline rush had better last!
Firefighting is going really well. The boys are all pretty cool and I am learning new things each week. Our weekend training will be completed next weekend and I we will all be qualified to respond on apparatus to calls. It’s going to be an exciting time on my first call I am sure. We only get called out on our pagers if there is an actual fire; I guess that’s why all the POC’s are sooo quick to respond to those pages. It’s their best chance at some real “action”. Soon the ice is going to be thick enough that we will be able to complete our ice rescue training. That involves donning some seriously thick wet suits and jumping into the lake after cutting a hole in the ice. Should be an icy good time had by all.
I have really got to start posting a little bit more often. By the time that I finally get around to it so many things have happened its hard to remember them all… I did get one message that requested more photos so this post will hopefully satisfy those with short attention spans that are paying for the internet by the minute. Step up and pay the extra 30 cents and read Tran.
Biggest news first I guess. Last weekend I played, in limited important game situations, in the Western Canada Broomball Championships. The coach told me that he would rest me so that when situations arose where he needed my special skills I would be ripping and roaring to go. Sadly those situations were few and far in between! So needless to say my ass was nailed to the bench for many of the “game on the line” situations. Luckily there weren’t too many of them. So I did manage to get some ice time throughout the tournament.
Right up until the finals when in the last 6 minutes with the game tied 0-0 I took a penalty after getting railroaded by a couple of elbows. I didn’t even look at the bench on the way over because I knew where I was headed the second that my penalty expired… I retuned right back to my spot on the bench for the remainder of the game. This turned out to be 15 minutes into the SECOND overtime period!!! Our team finally scored to win the Championship… Boy was I ever happy that I didn’t cost the team the tournament and I could laugh about what happened afterwards. With the championship victory my drinking hiatus ended as a celebration was in order. Did we ever celebrate, right up until I was taken home by my buddy’s mom and sister. Lifesavers they are!!!
The tournament banquet was a great party. Sadly I wasn’t named to the all-star team. I thought surely I would have been named best bench warmer or water boy…
Here I am right after collecting my medal. Boy did I ever contribute to that tournament victory! A man's gotta pay his dues right?
The CHAMPS! Our boy Ian was absolutely insane during the tournament. He stopped a breakaway with about two minutes left that would have sent us home with the silver...
If it were real I already would have upgraded my "grill". A nice little momento of the north. I am sure I will collect more than a couple more!
The start of the after party. This part of the evening is clear as day in my mind, it gets a little foggy towards the end of the evening!
Matt should have been holding my eyes open not the other way around. His partying antics lasted til 5 AM. I went til 2 AM, stumbled into a cab and likely yelled "Drive Smithers!"
Listening to the coach give us playing advice that didn't really apply to me sitting on the bench. As the deaf guy I was just smiling and nodding anyways.
Practicing that killer swing. If it had been working a little bit better for me I would have picked up at least a few "sure" goals throughout the tourney. Sadly, it wasn't working and my humble self passed the ball off to the goalie, on the other team!
Look at that killer instinct in action... Grrr...
Sin Bin. My home away from home at the rink. Seriously though, I didn't deserve a penalty, my brother backs me up on that one!
YEE-HAW!!!
That concludes our post on the broomball Western Canada Championship. I am sure that if I continue to improve there will continue to be a spot on the team (bench) for me. Hopefully next year's tournament is in a little bit more of an exciting place. I mean, Yellowknife, its cool and all but I live here!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Current Temp. -19
So today it is finally cold. It reached minus 19 on the weather channel. The nostils were freezing with every intake of breath. It didn't even really faze me much because I am pretty sure I have adjusted quite a bit to the temperature.
This past weekend was a busy one for me. I have a project that I am working on and putting a lot of hours in on. A buddy of mine is showing a house next weekend and it needs quite a bit of work before it is all set up and ready to go. So most of my after work time is spent painting and finishing the house so its all set for the open house. Its next weekend and there are loads of touch ups and trim to finish. It was also a training weekend down at the fire hall. So Saturday and Sunday from 8 to 5 we were doing our best to learn as much as we could. We were also donning all of our gear and running the hose tower like it was our job...
I will write more about the weekend tomorrow. I am exhausted and really need some beauty sleep!
This past weekend was a busy one for me. I have a project that I am working on and putting a lot of hours in on. A buddy of mine is showing a house next weekend and it needs quite a bit of work before it is all set up and ready to go. So most of my after work time is spent painting and finishing the house so its all set for the open house. Its next weekend and there are loads of touch ups and trim to finish. It was also a training weekend down at the fire hall. So Saturday and Sunday from 8 to 5 we were doing our best to learn as much as we could. We were also donning all of our gear and running the hose tower like it was our job...
I will write more about the weekend tomorrow. I am exhausted and really need some beauty sleep!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Interesting Comment...
I almost forgot to add what the senior firefighter said to me when I got to the firehall...
I am just a rookie and don't know much about what to do and such but he looks at me after going over a few ground rules and says:
"If we get a call, get your funny sh*t on quick, stick with Dean. Where he goes, you go"
Perhaps if we get a call while on shift I will see a live fire sooner rather than later. Once I have completed the second round of training, Offensive Firefighting 1 and 2 then I get upgraded to a black helmit and I can respond to much more interesting calls. Right now when a call comes in everyone piles out in the ambulance and I am left at the hall by myself... Its kinda scary that a call might come in while I am there solo.
I am just a rookie and don't know much about what to do and such but he looks at me after going over a few ground rules and says:
"If we get a call, get your funny sh*t on quick, stick with Dean. Where he goes, you go"
Perhaps if we get a call while on shift I will see a live fire sooner rather than later. Once I have completed the second round of training, Offensive Firefighting 1 and 2 then I get upgraded to a black helmit and I can respond to much more interesting calls. Right now when a call comes in everyone piles out in the ambulance and I am left at the hall by myself... Its kinda scary that a call might come in while I am there solo.
Marathon update.
I haven’t updated in a while not because nothing interesting has happened but because I have been pretty busy doing loads of different things.
Firstly I have been busy down at the firehall. I had to complete my first ride-a-long two weeks ago. Each month POC’s (Paid on Calls) are required to complete a 10 hour ride-a-long. Basically we go into the firehall and work with our platoons. The boys on my shift are all pretty cool. They ripped on me pretty hard because I didn’t have time to get out to Mark’s Work Warehouse to pick up my black boots. I was referred to as retard for about an hour. We drove down to the store and bought a pair. That was my first ride in the Fire Ambulance. I could stop looking in the mirror because it felt pretty surreal to be in a firefighter’s uniform. I am sure that those feelings will pass before too long. All shift I pretty much reviewed what is on each engine. I need to memorize what is in each compartment. We also set up a pump and I learned how to connect everything to draw water from a source to a fire.
The following Wednesday we were back at the abandoned housing. It was snowing pretty hard and the truck had a pretty difficult time getting up the hill but we managed to get it up there on the third or fourth try. Our training consisted of cutting a hole in the kitchen floor with the chainsaw. We also worked on our search and rescue skills. We were supposed to get up on the roof and make some ventilation holes but because the snow had made everything slippery we we’re allowed by the deputy chief. Fire training is a great break in the week. Afterwards we all go out for wings and a few pops. Its fun hanging out with all the guys and being a part of something that is bigger than myself.
Last weekend I had a sit down with both of my bosses. We had a little bit of a brainstorm session about some new marketing directions for the company. I am definitely going to be running a major contest for all of the northern stores of a particular chain. Its going to be a huge task for myself and a great opportunity to build up my resume. I am also going to be working on a few other initiatives that will keep me pretty interested in my job. One thing we discussed was bringing the AASBD, All American Soap Box Derby, up to
In other work news I am working pretty hard with a contractor in town that has taken my under his wing and teaching me loads about renovating and contracting work. It’s pretty interesting because each new skill will be useful for me in the future when I purchase my first house and such. It keeps me pretty busy because he is quite busy and so every night I feel like putting some hours in they are there for me. Most weekends I head out and put some time in also. Its not always nice, this morning I was hanging around in a crawl space digging trenches so that we can pump water out of this flooded area. It wasn’t very pretty!
Broomball is starting to get really interesting because I made the “All-Star” team that is representing
The housing situation is awesome. I really enjoy living with my brother. I find that we are getting along really well and
The snow has likely arrived to stay! It has been consistently below 0 the past week. Some are saying that the snow is not likely not going to last because a warm front will be coming through soon. I am not so confident. Its feeling pretty chilly every morning and I am not a huge fan but I am sure I will adjust soon enough. I have broken out the long johns for about a week now. I am thinking that I will most certainly be investing in a few more pairs. Gotta bundle up to stay warm! I am looking forward to the winter a little bit just because there are a lot of things happening around town. I am looking to make an escape at some point or another though for a vacation. I want to head over to
I am off to clean up my room. Its been messy since we moved in and its getting a little tiresome climbing over clothes to jump into bed every night.
Have a great day!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
I'm not in Hibernation... Just hiding!
To all of my adoring fans... I have been pretty busy and without the internet for the past little while so thats why I have neglected my blog. The nets getting installed at the pad on Tuesday so hopefully it wont be long before it is operational!
In the meantime I have been busy both working and enjoying life! Last weekend there was a broomball tournament. Ironman, my team managed to win the whole thing in a thrilling fashion. The last game came down to a shootout after we managed to hold off the other team in overtime while down a man. We played the entire first game with only 4 guys and a goalie because some of the players thought we were joking when we said the first game is at 7:30 AM. We managed to hold on for the tie after leading for almost the entire game on a beautiful goal by yours truely! It held up until the 2 minutes when the other team tied it up. We played about 6 games on Saturday and by the end of it I was simply beat. A worn out guy with the title of Champion!!!
FYI - There were three teams in the tourney...
Last Wednesday I went out to the firehall for our weekly training session and we saddled up and jumped on the trucks. It was awesome, I was grinning from ear to ear all night after that. The last time I remember being on a fire truck was when I was a kid and ended up with the split open head. The was much more fun and memorable. We went to an abandoned appartment block. It used to be staff housing for one of the mines in town and is getting torn down at the end of the month. Until then we have free run of the place for our training purposes. Firefighting is turning out to be really rewarding and entertaining.
I am doing quite a bit of extra work these days with a contractor in town which is keeping me busy evenings and weekends. If all goes according to plan then I am hoping that I can live off of that money and keep my paychecks in the bank. Time will tell how that ends up working out.
I gotta head outta here and get some things done. I hope the world is treating you well!
Later Skaters!
In the meantime I have been busy both working and enjoying life! Last weekend there was a broomball tournament. Ironman, my team managed to win the whole thing in a thrilling fashion. The last game came down to a shootout after we managed to hold off the other team in overtime while down a man. We played the entire first game with only 4 guys and a goalie because some of the players thought we were joking when we said the first game is at 7:30 AM. We managed to hold on for the tie after leading for almost the entire game on a beautiful goal by yours truely! It held up until the 2 minutes when the other team tied it up. We played about 6 games on Saturday and by the end of it I was simply beat. A worn out guy with the title of Champion!!!
FYI - There were three teams in the tourney...
Last Wednesday I went out to the firehall for our weekly training session and we saddled up and jumped on the trucks. It was awesome, I was grinning from ear to ear all night after that. The last time I remember being on a fire truck was when I was a kid and ended up with the split open head. The was much more fun and memorable. We went to an abandoned appartment block. It used to be staff housing for one of the mines in town and is getting torn down at the end of the month. Until then we have free run of the place for our training purposes. Firefighting is turning out to be really rewarding and entertaining.
I am doing quite a bit of extra work these days with a contractor in town which is keeping me busy evenings and weekends. If all goes according to plan then I am hoping that I can live off of that money and keep my paychecks in the bank. Time will tell how that ends up working out.
I gotta head outta here and get some things done. I hope the world is treating you well!
Later Skaters!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Weekend Party!
What a whirlwind of activity this past weekend. I was working hard all week so that I could cut out work real early on Friday to start the trek home. Karma was paying me back for something and I ended up misplacing my file folder that contained some important papers including orders for some of my accounts. So I was unable to make a move to the airport in the morning as planned so I booked myself on the afternoon flight.
I was unable to get on the flight out at 3 so I actually went ahead and bought my first airplane ticket in
So my chances of arriving home in time for the party were looking pretty slim to say the least. Marie, was shocked to see my friendly face back at her house. At least 15 cm ended up falling that night. In the morning I was feeling horrible, unable to eat and seriously exhausted. Somehow I managed to get to the airport on time and get on the first flight out. When I arrived in
After the party the crew and I took off for downtown to check out the Nuit Blanche or Blanche Nuit. We had no idea where anything was, but we did find beer and that’s what was important!
Sunday after cleaning up the last little remains of the party we took off up to
During my appointment I realized that I am actually seriously leaving the city that I was raised in. I have grown up going to Dr. V. The staff great me like an old friend every time I come in for my check ups. It is a really great office over there and I was really sad to realize that someone else is now going to be administering oral pain for me. Dr V. is a legend and has made the smile worth about half a mill…
Its really strange to be coming and leaving so frequently. I think its been easy to leave in the past because prior to my departure I always had a plan for my return. This time is different; there is no plan to return. Sure I will always be passing through the saug and
So here I am, yet again planning on sleeping in an airport somewhere in
Mama, Happy Birthday! I can say without hesitation and only a little bit of bias; You are my FAVORITE mom!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Whirlwind of Excitement!
Loads has happened since I last updated. Its been a busy time for me up here in the Knife. Broomball is still going really well and I actually have a few skills so I am hopeful that I will make the final team. All that depends on the schedule of my new undertaking... I signed on to become a volunteer firefighter. I was pretty nervous about it but it seems like its something that will be totally worthwhile. Before I could start the classes though we had to pass the physical test. It was torture!
The first exercise was on the ladders. We had to raise a ladder from the ground and then raise the fly to its full height. That was really easy, I have been painting for a while so I understand the weight distribution of ladders.
Following that we had to run 1.5 miles in 13 minutes. I was well on my way to completing this task when someone walked by and kicked the plug causing the treadmill to turn off. Rather than making me restart I had to run .5 miles in 4 minutes. I was at almost 10 minutes when the machine turned off so I had to run faster for longer which was disappointing.
After a 5 minute rest I was suited up in full gear including SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) and had to complete a left or right hand search of the smoke house. I did this while essentially blindfolded. After finding the dummy I had to wait there for 10 minutes essentially testing for claustrophobia. After the 10 minutes I had to drag the dummy out of the building.
Next up came the true challenge of the test. In full gear including a "high rise kit". The kit weighs about 50 - 75 pound and holds tools that might be required when entering a burning building. The added weight was about 100 - 125 pounds. We were still in full gear with our SCBA. We had to run to the top of the stairs, three flights, and then back down stepping on every stair on the way down, TWICE! When I got to the top the first time I was ready for an extended rest! There were a total of 6 flights of steps and each step was murderous. We had 2 minutes and 20 seconds to complete this.
Following a three minute break we again headed over to the "high rise". We had to run to the second floor and pull up, hand over hand, a hose that weighed about 50 pounds. After pulling it over the railing we had to lower the hose without any slipping. Then we had to run back down the stairs. For this exercise we took of the SCBA. It was helpful but still difficult. We had 1 minute and 40 seconds to complete this.
The next part involved getting equipment from the truck and carrying it around a pylon 50 feet away. First we had to carry two saws. Next were the Jaws of Life. The final item was a dummy. We had to drag it down to the pylon. This dummy must not have been on a diet cause he was a heavy JA-JO! I think we had another minute and 20 or 40 seconds to complete this.
By the time I got to the last drill I was feeling drilled! We had to hammer a 4 foot metal beam down a track about 4 feet. It was supposed to take 22 seconds. I managed to giterdone in 53 seconds of agony! I felt like my arms were going to fall off and I would have to use my feet to kick the beam down the track! I was making so much noise by this point that people across the fire hall came over to make sure I was still moving and alive. But I finished and that's all that matters. I was scoring perfect until the final drill so my final score was 12/14. I was pretty pleased with myself.
The real kicker though was that right before I started there was a guy that was just finishing up his test. He was hammering away on the steel beam when he lifted the hammer and simply face planted almost passed out! That didn't help my confidence much to say the least. People were running over with ice packs trying to cool him down. He might have made his way down to the hospital...
So I passed and the training started Friday night with some administrative things that needed to be taken care of. Saturday morning bright and early at 8 AM the classes started and they aren't as intense as I expected but there is a lot of information to be absorbed! We get to practice on the different equipment though which is nice. I still remember my first ever visit to a fire hall when I was in kindergarten. I was hanging off the back of the truck and swinging around I smashed my head off the end of a ladder and poured blood all over my white turtleneck uniform. I was happy to notice that there are now pads on the backs of the ladders protecting people from being idiots! I also remember that in my kindergarten year book when they asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I said a firefighter. I have no idea what possibly possessed me. I guess I thought at the time that any job that lets me swing from trucks and hurt myself must be a lot of fun!
In other news I have found a place to live and will be moving in on October 1st or 2nd. Depending on when I return from the saug. My bro and I are going to share a two bedroom most likely. There is another option but its not for certain at all. The bottom line is that October 1st I will be moving into a place that is permanent! No more crashing with friends... Sadly that means rent prices are raising!
To offset this new expenditure I have started a part time job with a construction company. It is going to turn into a painting job in the not so distant future but for now I am fill nail holes in trim using putty crayons. Its not the most exciting job in the world but it will help pay the bills and hopefully allow me to save much more money. Time will tell how that works out though as I progress. I have a deadline of Sept 26th because they are going to have the final inspection on all 8 units. So I am going to be filling my spare time by filling holes... With the occasional broomball practice thrown in for good measure...
This is a marathon post and I gotta get to bed. Stay happy everyone!
The first exercise was on the ladders. We had to raise a ladder from the ground and then raise the fly to its full height. That was really easy, I have been painting for a while so I understand the weight distribution of ladders.
Following that we had to run 1.5 miles in 13 minutes. I was well on my way to completing this task when someone walked by and kicked the plug causing the treadmill to turn off. Rather than making me restart I had to run .5 miles in 4 minutes. I was at almost 10 minutes when the machine turned off so I had to run faster for longer which was disappointing.
After a 5 minute rest I was suited up in full gear including SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) and had to complete a left or right hand search of the smoke house. I did this while essentially blindfolded. After finding the dummy I had to wait there for 10 minutes essentially testing for claustrophobia. After the 10 minutes I had to drag the dummy out of the building.
Next up came the true challenge of the test. In full gear including a "high rise kit". The kit weighs about 50 - 75 pound and holds tools that might be required when entering a burning building. The added weight was about 100 - 125 pounds. We were still in full gear with our SCBA. We had to run to the top of the stairs, three flights, and then back down stepping on every stair on the way down, TWICE! When I got to the top the first time I was ready for an extended rest! There were a total of 6 flights of steps and each step was murderous. We had 2 minutes and 20 seconds to complete this.
Following a three minute break we again headed over to the "high rise". We had to run to the second floor and pull up, hand over hand, a hose that weighed about 50 pounds. After pulling it over the railing we had to lower the hose without any slipping. Then we had to run back down the stairs. For this exercise we took of the SCBA. It was helpful but still difficult. We had 1 minute and 40 seconds to complete this.
The next part involved getting equipment from the truck and carrying it around a pylon 50 feet away. First we had to carry two saws. Next were the Jaws of Life. The final item was a dummy. We had to drag it down to the pylon. This dummy must not have been on a diet cause he was a heavy JA-JO! I think we had another minute and 20 or 40 seconds to complete this.
By the time I got to the last drill I was feeling drilled! We had to hammer a 4 foot metal beam down a track about 4 feet. It was supposed to take 22 seconds. I managed to giterdone in 53 seconds of agony! I felt like my arms were going to fall off and I would have to use my feet to kick the beam down the track! I was making so much noise by this point that people across the fire hall came over to make sure I was still moving and alive. But I finished and that's all that matters. I was scoring perfect until the final drill so my final score was 12/14. I was pretty pleased with myself.
The real kicker though was that right before I started there was a guy that was just finishing up his test. He was hammering away on the steel beam when he lifted the hammer and simply face planted almost passed out! That didn't help my confidence much to say the least. People were running over with ice packs trying to cool him down. He might have made his way down to the hospital...
So I passed and the training started Friday night with some administrative things that needed to be taken care of. Saturday morning bright and early at 8 AM the classes started and they aren't as intense as I expected but there is a lot of information to be absorbed! We get to practice on the different equipment though which is nice. I still remember my first ever visit to a fire hall when I was in kindergarten. I was hanging off the back of the truck and swinging around I smashed my head off the end of a ladder and poured blood all over my white turtleneck uniform. I was happy to notice that there are now pads on the backs of the ladders protecting people from being idiots! I also remember that in my kindergarten year book when they asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I said a firefighter. I have no idea what possibly possessed me. I guess I thought at the time that any job that lets me swing from trucks and hurt myself must be a lot of fun!
In other news I have found a place to live and will be moving in on October 1st or 2nd. Depending on when I return from the saug. My bro and I are going to share a two bedroom most likely. There is another option but its not for certain at all. The bottom line is that October 1st I will be moving into a place that is permanent! No more crashing with friends... Sadly that means rent prices are raising!
To offset this new expenditure I have started a part time job with a construction company. It is going to turn into a painting job in the not so distant future but for now I am fill nail holes in trim using putty crayons. Its not the most exciting job in the world but it will help pay the bills and hopefully allow me to save much more money. Time will tell how that works out though as I progress. I have a deadline of Sept 26th because they are going to have the final inspection on all 8 units. So I am going to be filling my spare time by filling holes... With the occasional broomball practice thrown in for good measure...
This is a marathon post and I gotta get to bed. Stay happy everyone!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Broomball
Last night I had my second broomball practice and it went much better than the first one. My bro lent me his equipment so I was able to run on the ice much easier than my previous practice. The shoes are pretty cool. Impossible to describe, just imagine a foam jelly on the bottom of your shoes that doesnt exactly stick to the ice but adds traction you wouldn't get from running shoes.
I am doing much better than I thought I would be. I am still not sure I will be representing any thing or any one just yet but its good fun all the same.
Tomorrow night I have my physical test to become a Paid On Call Firefighter. I am a little nervous because I am definitely out of shape and broomball has proven that to me. We played floor hockey as well for practice on Sunday and I was wheezing far to quickly for my liking! I am sure before too long I will regain my lungs.
Work is going well but its not overly exciting. Its just something that I do because I have to make money. Sales are still up but not as much as they were when I first took over the accounts. August was looking like it was going to be a dismal month for me until the last week where coke 12 packs went on sale for $2.85 at the biggest supermarket in town. We blew through 4 extra pallets over the weekend. We were seriously low stocked on Monday morning. All in all its a pretty good job and I seem to be doing well at it. I have no plans to make any changes in the next little while.
I just spent the last 30 minutes on the phone with bell trying to get my cell phone bill all sorted out. I thought that they had over charged me quite a bit but it turns out it was A-ok but I was over paying huge on text messages and other services. I got it all worked out and switched around a few things so that its now all good. Sadly I still have to pay the current bill...
Not much else to report, I havent done much of anything other than paint a house which looks fabulous even if I must say so myself! I am just putting on the finishing touches which is nice cause with that being finished I will have a little bit more free time to take care of a few other things.
I'm gonna go put those touches on now. Stay well and happy everyone!
I am doing much better than I thought I would be. I am still not sure I will be representing any thing or any one just yet but its good fun all the same.
Tomorrow night I have my physical test to become a Paid On Call Firefighter. I am a little nervous because I am definitely out of shape and broomball has proven that to me. We played floor hockey as well for practice on Sunday and I was wheezing far to quickly for my liking! I am sure before too long I will regain my lungs.
Work is going well but its not overly exciting. Its just something that I do because I have to make money. Sales are still up but not as much as they were when I first took over the accounts. August was looking like it was going to be a dismal month for me until the last week where coke 12 packs went on sale for $2.85 at the biggest supermarket in town. We blew through 4 extra pallets over the weekend. We were seriously low stocked on Monday morning. All in all its a pretty good job and I seem to be doing well at it. I have no plans to make any changes in the next little while.
I just spent the last 30 minutes on the phone with bell trying to get my cell phone bill all sorted out. I thought that they had over charged me quite a bit but it turns out it was A-ok but I was over paying huge on text messages and other services. I got it all worked out and switched around a few things so that its now all good. Sadly I still have to pay the current bill...
Not much else to report, I havent done much of anything other than paint a house which looks fabulous even if I must say so myself! I am just putting on the finishing touches which is nice cause with that being finished I will have a little bit more free time to take care of a few other things.
I'm gonna go put those touches on now. Stay well and happy everyone!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Return of the Coke Salesman
It seems fall managed to arrive up in Yellowknife while I was down south in the saug enjoying a mini vacation. It was a shock to get back up here to 15 degree temperatures. I read the star online daily and it makes me miss the summer sunburns I manage to pick up annually.
I arrived back up here with the intention of getting involved in the community and have I ever. On Sunday while many of you were enjoying the various cottage activities and the winding down of the summer season I was strapping on my shoes, knee pads, shin guards and jock for a good ole game of broomball. For those of you unaware this is a sport similar in many respects to hockey however it is played without skates. I sucked balls! Every time I jumped the boards to get on the ice I slipped because the two inches that make up a skate blade were mysteriously absent under my foot. However, I didnt suck badly enough and I think I might have earned a spot on the Territorial team that represents NWT in the Western Canada Broomball Championship to be held in Yellowknife in September. There are 40 spots available and there were about 30 people that came out for the initial practice. It was hilarious and with any luck I will be standing and also running on the ice in time for the tournament. Thats the biggest piece of news these days for me up here in the chill.
In other news I have applied to be a volunteer firefighter. In no time at I am sure I will be running the station just like Fire Marshal Bill of SNL fame. There is an initial meeting tomorrow night so we will have to wait and see what happens with that. That would be an amazing experience. Ironically people are actually paid to VOLUNTEER for the fire department.
Work is going well, I am always amazing at just how much Coke people actually drink. I am starting a new project tomorrow where I will be selling our Old Dutch (potato chips not bleach) products up to the truly northern communities. We will have to wait and see well that treats me.
I still dont have a place lined up to live, its quite difficult to find acceptable roommates. For the time being I am house sitting my brother's girlfriend's place. I am essentially here to ensure he doesn't throw any parties. I failed miserably at that as I went out to the bar Saturday night and came home to a mini bender in progress. I am also painting the house and Sunday was a miserable day to say the least. I slept in, one of Dustin's guests literally walked off in one of my shoes, and I was holding a paint brush all day. The love hate relationship with paint continues. My other responsibility was feeding that cat. I just found the cat food today. Marie left Saturday, today is Tuesday... Good thing its a fat cat otherwise I might have had a real problem on my hand!
The next night we were all just hanging around drinking a couple of beers winding the weekend down in a garage when the bright idea of a fire was brought up. We loaded up the coke van with stolen pallets and headed off into the sand pits. I have never seen so many stars in my life! I thought I was seeing something really special and I pointed it out to my friend who laughed in my face and told me it was a satellite orbiting. I never even knew it was possible to see them from earth. I guess I am just slow. The northern lights were also out which are simply amazing. If you ever have the chance to travel north to check them out I highly recommend it. I will get some photos and send them out soon enough but they will do no justice to the beauty of the northern lights. They aren't even really good yet I am told. I am in for some sweet scenery all winter long! All I have to do is put up with the cold...
Not much entertaining is going on around these parts. Its really easy to get involved though because it is such a small community. Anything that you want to do is available because there is such a limited amount of competition for things.
I am off to bed I hope that this post finds all of you in great health and happiness.
PS - There is no snow yet... I am sure it is just a matter of weeks not months. There is never any doubt there's a white Christmas since most every year people celebrate white Halloween!
I arrived back up here with the intention of getting involved in the community and have I ever. On Sunday while many of you were enjoying the various cottage activities and the winding down of the summer season I was strapping on my shoes, knee pads, shin guards and jock for a good ole game of broomball. For those of you unaware this is a sport similar in many respects to hockey however it is played without skates. I sucked balls! Every time I jumped the boards to get on the ice I slipped because the two inches that make up a skate blade were mysteriously absent under my foot. However, I didnt suck badly enough and I think I might have earned a spot on the Territorial team that represents NWT in the Western Canada Broomball Championship to be held in Yellowknife in September. There are 40 spots available and there were about 30 people that came out for the initial practice. It was hilarious and with any luck I will be standing and also running on the ice in time for the tournament. Thats the biggest piece of news these days for me up here in the chill.
In other news I have applied to be a volunteer firefighter. In no time at I am sure I will be running the station just like Fire Marshal Bill of SNL fame. There is an initial meeting tomorrow night so we will have to wait and see what happens with that. That would be an amazing experience. Ironically people are actually paid to VOLUNTEER for the fire department.
Work is going well, I am always amazing at just how much Coke people actually drink. I am starting a new project tomorrow where I will be selling our Old Dutch (potato chips not bleach) products up to the truly northern communities. We will have to wait and see well that treats me.
I still dont have a place lined up to live, its quite difficult to find acceptable roommates. For the time being I am house sitting my brother's girlfriend's place. I am essentially here to ensure he doesn't throw any parties. I failed miserably at that as I went out to the bar Saturday night and came home to a mini bender in progress. I am also painting the house and Sunday was a miserable day to say the least. I slept in, one of Dustin's guests literally walked off in one of my shoes, and I was holding a paint brush all day. The love hate relationship with paint continues. My other responsibility was feeding that cat. I just found the cat food today. Marie left Saturday, today is Tuesday... Good thing its a fat cat otherwise I might have had a real problem on my hand!
The next night we were all just hanging around drinking a couple of beers winding the weekend down in a garage when the bright idea of a fire was brought up. We loaded up the coke van with stolen pallets and headed off into the sand pits. I have never seen so many stars in my life! I thought I was seeing something really special and I pointed it out to my friend who laughed in my face and told me it was a satellite orbiting. I never even knew it was possible to see them from earth. I guess I am just slow. The northern lights were also out which are simply amazing. If you ever have the chance to travel north to check them out I highly recommend it. I will get some photos and send them out soon enough but they will do no justice to the beauty of the northern lights. They aren't even really good yet I am told. I am in for some sweet scenery all winter long! All I have to do is put up with the cold...
Not much entertaining is going on around these parts. Its really easy to get involved though because it is such a small community. Anything that you want to do is available because there is such a limited amount of competition for things.
I am off to bed I hope that this post finds all of you in great health and happiness.
PS - There is no snow yet... I am sure it is just a matter of weeks not months. There is never any doubt there's a white Christmas since most every year people celebrate white Halloween!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
I've been busy.
So I made my way back north and have been just plugging away at work. I am shocked at just how much Coke poeple actually drink. Now I actually drink the products, at least the juices anyways, but before I got the company discount I could never justify paying more than double the price of no name to buy Coke. People are simply crazy...
Last weekend though there was a music festival here in town that was pretty cool. It's called Folk on the Rocks and was actually quite impressive. I am hoping that next year I will be able to get involved with the organization of the event. Saturday was spent boozing while watching some great bands. I did have to have a little bit of a nappy poo before the finale. I woke up just in time to catch T.O.F.U., which I wasn't even really interested in based on their hippy name. They rocked! There was a political message of course but it was not sooooo hippy that ordinary people couldn't relate. The second day was much more relaxed. Bands all come out and played together which was an interesting concept and made for some great sessions. I have no camera so there are no photos to speak of.
Other than that life is extremely ordinary. I am trying to get regular sleeping hours so that I am not all worn out at work and tired in the morning. Going to bed at 10 is actually pretty good cause I am feeling much fresher in the morning. I still have to start jogging but that wont be long now.
Last weekend though there was a music festival here in town that was pretty cool. It's called Folk on the Rocks and was actually quite impressive. I am hoping that next year I will be able to get involved with the organization of the event. Saturday was spent boozing while watching some great bands. I did have to have a little bit of a nappy poo before the finale. I woke up just in time to catch T.O.F.U., which I wasn't even really interested in based on their hippy name. They rocked! There was a political message of course but it was not sooooo hippy that ordinary people couldn't relate. The second day was much more relaxed. Bands all come out and played together which was an interesting concept and made for some great sessions. I have no camera so there are no photos to speak of.
Other than that life is extremely ordinary. I am trying to get regular sleeping hours so that I am not all worn out at work and tired in the morning. Going to bed at 10 is actually pretty good cause I am feeling much fresher in the morning. I still have to start jogging but that wont be long now.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Stampeded
Last week while trying to put the finishing touches on my BBQ plans I mailed a bunch of buddies to see if they would be interested in dropping by. Well it turns out that there were plans for most of them to be in Calgary for the Stampede. Who am I to miss out on an opportunity to party like a rock star?!?! I quickly revised the travel plans to ensure that I could hang out in Calgary for a couple of nights. It was a decision I was happy to make.
I got to Calgary at about 5 after kicking off from work a couple of hours early. Kyle was kind enough to allow me to crash at his place so after figuring out the C-train I was on my way to meet him. Cowboy hats were out in full force. That night was a big of a write off as I was unaware that tickets were required to get into any bar worth being in. So we went out with a couple of Kyle's friends to a Karaoke bar. I did get out to meet up with Josh and have dinner at his restaurant. Overall not what I had anticipated from a Stampede weekend. But the best was yet to come...
Saturday I met up with the boys and we hit the fairgrounds with reckless abandon! First stop was the purchase of a cowboy hat for myself and then I was ripping and roaring to go. I attended my first rodeo and it was actually much more entertaining that I had anticipated. That was the highlight of the day by far mostly because we didn't do much else other than that. I met up with some friend's of friends who also didn't have tickets to any of the bars downtown but they were from Calgary and were planning a night out somewhere. I made the executive decision to join up with them and hopefully meet up with the rest of the crew down at one of the bars. That was a great decision because we walked right into Cowboys even though there was a lineup that would have taken a few hours to get through. We also didn't pay the $50 cover charge. It turns out that one of the guys that was out with us knew a bouncer so we walked right in. Sure it was early, before 7, but we were pumped to be in a hot spot, even if it was only lukewarm when we arrived.
The night lived up to the hype of stampede. It passed me by in a blur and before I knew it I was calling Josh to get a ride to the airport. I made my flight and was lucky to get on as it was quite full. It is also perhaps the worst shape I have ever flown in. At the check-in counter the woman even asked if I was aware of the dress code. Golf shirts and dirty pants simply weren't cutting it. Who would have thought? I woke up almost home and felt fully refreshed and ready for another beer... Sadly, I was out of money :(
The weekend at home was awesome. My BBQ was poorly attended on account of the rain, stampede, and pretty much lack of friends. I was really happy to see the people that did make it out. It was a lot of fun to drive around with my sister and pick up supplies. It might be the last time I shop after drinking... Anyone have any use for about 20 chocolate bars? Apparently I had a craving...
I am just sitting here waiting for morning for a flight back out to Calgary and then from there up to Yellowknife. I am still having mixed feelings about living up there but I am sure things will start to work themselves out and I will adjust. I am off for a nap and then off on the road again. Stay well.
I got to Calgary at about 5 after kicking off from work a couple of hours early. Kyle was kind enough to allow me to crash at his place so after figuring out the C-train I was on my way to meet him. Cowboy hats were out in full force. That night was a big of a write off as I was unaware that tickets were required to get into any bar worth being in. So we went out with a couple of Kyle's friends to a Karaoke bar. I did get out to meet up with Josh and have dinner at his restaurant. Overall not what I had anticipated from a Stampede weekend. But the best was yet to come...
Saturday I met up with the boys and we hit the fairgrounds with reckless abandon! First stop was the purchase of a cowboy hat for myself and then I was ripping and roaring to go. I attended my first rodeo and it was actually much more entertaining that I had anticipated. That was the highlight of the day by far mostly because we didn't do much else other than that. I met up with some friend's of friends who also didn't have tickets to any of the bars downtown but they were from Calgary and were planning a night out somewhere. I made the executive decision to join up with them and hopefully meet up with the rest of the crew down at one of the bars. That was a great decision because we walked right into Cowboys even though there was a lineup that would have taken a few hours to get through. We also didn't pay the $50 cover charge. It turns out that one of the guys that was out with us knew a bouncer so we walked right in. Sure it was early, before 7, but we were pumped to be in a hot spot, even if it was only lukewarm when we arrived.
The night lived up to the hype of stampede. It passed me by in a blur and before I knew it I was calling Josh to get a ride to the airport. I made my flight and was lucky to get on as it was quite full. It is also perhaps the worst shape I have ever flown in. At the check-in counter the woman even asked if I was aware of the dress code. Golf shirts and dirty pants simply weren't cutting it. Who would have thought? I woke up almost home and felt fully refreshed and ready for another beer... Sadly, I was out of money :(
The weekend at home was awesome. My BBQ was poorly attended on account of the rain, stampede, and pretty much lack of friends. I was really happy to see the people that did make it out. It was a lot of fun to drive around with my sister and pick up supplies. It might be the last time I shop after drinking... Anyone have any use for about 20 chocolate bars? Apparently I had a craving...
I am just sitting here waiting for morning for a flight back out to Calgary and then from there up to Yellowknife. I am still having mixed feelings about living up there but I am sure things will start to work themselves out and I will adjust. I am off for a nap and then off on the road again. Stay well.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Long Weekend
This past weekend was obviously a long one on account of Canada's 140th birthday and it was celebrated in style! Earlier in the week I met up with a friend I had met earlier and he invited me out to a bender at his in-laws place. His father-in-law just happened to be my boss.
On Friday I had a chat with my boss about the job and how I am feeling about it. It is a pretty good opportunity but I am feeling like a glorified shelf stocker. Definitely not something I thought I was signing up for when I read the job description. I have also been thinking about going back to Korea for a pretty amazing (financially) teaching opportunity. I mean if I am simply going to be stocking shelves and making money I might as well be living overseas teaching, which is much more satisfying, and making even more money. While the money of teaching with this particular opportunity is enticing I also realize that I need to start working in a business environment sooner rather than later. But I figure if I am simply going to be stocking shelves and keeping inventory I can't help but think of other opportunities. I just have to work hard at keeping myself motivated because there is no reason why I can't drastically increase sales in my first year and continue to do so.
So my boss and I probably spent about 30 minutes chatting about the job and what the position is likely going to be and I am happy with the result. There will be room for me to plan different events and create some marketing plans for some of the different companies that are run by the same owner as the Coca Cola distributor.
On to more entertaining topics in this post, the cabin. We got up there at about 8:30 and set up our tents and everything. This might seem pretty late but the sun was still shining and the weather was sweet! We were amoung the first to arrive but the band was already set up which was awesome. People started trickling in and the beer started to flow and everyone was having a grand ole time. The sky was a little hazy but that was due to a forest fire that has started at one of the camps that my bro has worked in before. Later on he bumped into a co-worker who was evacuated and lost a bunch of his tools because they could only take what they could carry. The evening was an awesome success HisGod played an amazing set and it was just fun to be in a cottage atmosphere for the weekend. I gotta say I have been to some cottages with amazing lookouts and Yellowknife definitely competes and some. The following day the owner of the cottage pretty much kicked out the majority of the people due to some obnoxious events the previous night. It looked like the whole island was getting evicted. The tribe has spoken but after a few boat loads the crowds looked a little more managable and after the revote people were allowed to stay. Scrabble all afternoon in the sun! I know not the most exciting cottage action ever.
That night I felt so sick and ended up in bed only to be woken up by someone looking for where I had hidden my beers. I knew that if I left them around they would be dranken long before I ever got around to it. After the following conversation...
"Hey man, we're all outta beer and I know you have some stashed"
"Man, I am sleeping. You can't have my beer"
"Dude, I am just gonna take it even if you tell me I can't"
"You know if you do that, its totally not cool"
"Well, its not cool for you to say its not cool and make me feel bad about taking your beer"
"Are you gonna buy me a new 15 pack?"
"Yeah, I'll find a way to get you one"
"Take it"
This was a lose lose situation for me. Chances of ever seeing the 15 pack in my hands, pretty slim. At least now I have something I can hold over him everytime I want a beer. It might even be well worth 30 beers before I am done using it. I was sick as a dog and was not going to be drinking anything but the beer store was closed for the rest of the weekend.
There is plenty more to write about but I will just leave you with this. If you have a chance, go watch Transformers. Quite simply the best movie I have seen in a long while! Do it TODAY!
PS - Happy Birthday Rachel!
On Friday I had a chat with my boss about the job and how I am feeling about it. It is a pretty good opportunity but I am feeling like a glorified shelf stocker. Definitely not something I thought I was signing up for when I read the job description. I have also been thinking about going back to Korea for a pretty amazing (financially) teaching opportunity. I mean if I am simply going to be stocking shelves and making money I might as well be living overseas teaching, which is much more satisfying, and making even more money. While the money of teaching with this particular opportunity is enticing I also realize that I need to start working in a business environment sooner rather than later. But I figure if I am simply going to be stocking shelves and keeping inventory I can't help but think of other opportunities. I just have to work hard at keeping myself motivated because there is no reason why I can't drastically increase sales in my first year and continue to do so.
So my boss and I probably spent about 30 minutes chatting about the job and what the position is likely going to be and I am happy with the result. There will be room for me to plan different events and create some marketing plans for some of the different companies that are run by the same owner as the Coca Cola distributor.
On to more entertaining topics in this post, the cabin. We got up there at about 8:30 and set up our tents and everything. This might seem pretty late but the sun was still shining and the weather was sweet! We were amoung the first to arrive but the band was already set up which was awesome. People started trickling in and the beer started to flow and everyone was having a grand ole time. The sky was a little hazy but that was due to a forest fire that has started at one of the camps that my bro has worked in before. Later on he bumped into a co-worker who was evacuated and lost a bunch of his tools because they could only take what they could carry. The evening was an awesome success HisGod played an amazing set and it was just fun to be in a cottage atmosphere for the weekend. I gotta say I have been to some cottages with amazing lookouts and Yellowknife definitely competes and some. The following day the owner of the cottage pretty much kicked out the majority of the people due to some obnoxious events the previous night. It looked like the whole island was getting evicted. The tribe has spoken but after a few boat loads the crowds looked a little more managable and after the revote people were allowed to stay. Scrabble all afternoon in the sun! I know not the most exciting cottage action ever.
That night I felt so sick and ended up in bed only to be woken up by someone looking for where I had hidden my beers. I knew that if I left them around they would be dranken long before I ever got around to it. After the following conversation...
"Hey man, we're all outta beer and I know you have some stashed"
"Man, I am sleeping. You can't have my beer"
"Dude, I am just gonna take it even if you tell me I can't"
"You know if you do that, its totally not cool"
"Well, its not cool for you to say its not cool and make me feel bad about taking your beer"
"Are you gonna buy me a new 15 pack?"
"Yeah, I'll find a way to get you one"
"Take it"
This was a lose lose situation for me. Chances of ever seeing the 15 pack in my hands, pretty slim. At least now I have something I can hold over him everytime I want a beer. It might even be well worth 30 beers before I am done using it. I was sick as a dog and was not going to be drinking anything but the beer store was closed for the rest of the weekend.
There is plenty more to write about but I will just leave you with this. If you have a chance, go watch Transformers. Quite simply the best movie I have seen in a long while! Do it TODAY!
PS - Happy Birthday Rachel!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
First Day of Work
Today was my first day of work which was pretty exciting. I was picked up at 7:20 to start my day and it was non-stop til about 6:00. Most days are going to end up being quite so long but we had quite a bit to get through. So we went into the office and I was introduced to my new company vehicle. Sadly it was not the Ford F150 that the boss mentioned on the phone. While it was still a Ford it was a pretty large sized cube van. Kinda hard to be ballin' in that mobile. But a free ride is a free ride.
Basically my job is going to be to keep all of my accounts as happy as possible. There are going to be a lot of challenges that I am going to overcome in the next little while including but not limited to; learning to navigate all 27 Yellowknife roads (i made that number up), getting the warehouse guys to actually fill the orders correctly, and managing to keep myself pretty well entertained. Already I am accepted into an awesome group of friends because of my bro's previous hard work on making them. So there are plenty of people to hang out with and entertaining myself might not be too difficult. However, back to writing about my work day...
Throughout the day we went around to accounts and ensured shelves were stocked and there was plenty of product waiting to be moved our to the coolers as they are emptied. Essentially I just write the orders for all of my customers and manage all of their inventory. What I am doing is getting familiar with all of the products that we carry up in the Knife. Not only am I selling Coke but also Old Dutch Potato Chips. Thats a large product line to say the least. Although there are only 20 or so account that I am managing almost everyone requires a weekly visit at the very least. Almost all accounts are visited daily by either myself, the merchandiser, or the delivery guy.
I am pretty pumped because the boss also mentioned that he is likely going to have me write up some marketing plans for one of their biggest suppliers and that will get me started in doing what I would potentially like to do in the future, marketing consultation. There is another guy in town that is interested in potentially having me do some work for them also by designing and implimenting a marketing plan for his communication business. I am looking forward to the potential. While my job is going to be demanding from time to time I am certain I will be able to manage and with any luck reach my personal goal for sales increases.
I am off to bed, this weekend one of the boys in town is celebrating his birthday at my bosses cottage. Interestingly enough, my boss is his father-in-law. Small towns, go figure!
Basically my job is going to be to keep all of my accounts as happy as possible. There are going to be a lot of challenges that I am going to overcome in the next little while including but not limited to; learning to navigate all 27 Yellowknife roads (i made that number up), getting the warehouse guys to actually fill the orders correctly, and managing to keep myself pretty well entertained. Already I am accepted into an awesome group of friends because of my bro's previous hard work on making them. So there are plenty of people to hang out with and entertaining myself might not be too difficult. However, back to writing about my work day...
Throughout the day we went around to accounts and ensured shelves were stocked and there was plenty of product waiting to be moved our to the coolers as they are emptied. Essentially I just write the orders for all of my customers and manage all of their inventory. What I am doing is getting familiar with all of the products that we carry up in the Knife. Not only am I selling Coke but also Old Dutch Potato Chips. Thats a large product line to say the least. Although there are only 20 or so account that I am managing almost everyone requires a weekly visit at the very least. Almost all accounts are visited daily by either myself, the merchandiser, or the delivery guy.
I am pretty pumped because the boss also mentioned that he is likely going to have me write up some marketing plans for one of their biggest suppliers and that will get me started in doing what I would potentially like to do in the future, marketing consultation. There is another guy in town that is interested in potentially having me do some work for them also by designing and implimenting a marketing plan for his communication business. I am looking forward to the potential. While my job is going to be demanding from time to time I am certain I will be able to manage and with any luck reach my personal goal for sales increases.
I am off to bed, this weekend one of the boys in town is celebrating his birthday at my bosses cottage. Interestingly enough, my boss is his father-in-law. Small towns, go figure!
The Move is Complete. Sort of.
Well I made the move up to Yellowknife and its been a pretty interesting time since I got here. I am really impressed with my first couple of days up here.
I took off on Monday morning after spending extreme amounts of time packing about 45 minutes before I left for the airport. Needless to say I am sure I forgot more than one item under my bed. I waited for quite sometime in the Edmonton Airport before getting one of the last seats on my flight up to the Knife. I was really impressed that my bro was actually waiting IN the airport when I walked through the doors. Its a nice feeling to arrive with a drive waiting. After stopping by the softball field where I decided I am definitely going to join the summer league we went out for a couple of beers. I was home in bed pretty early as the next day I had to get out to the office and meet my boss and get a tour of the warehouse as I went through the hiring process over the phone and e-mail. The sun is pretty much up overnight so I pretty much didn't feel tired at all. The sun does set, but it remains "twilight" overnight. Lots of people have a lot of trouble sleeping because the sun seeps through the blinds and lights the room. People even put tin foil on their windows to block out the sun. Luckily I am having minimal problems. When have I ever really had a problem sleeping?
The next day I spoke with my boss and we arranged to meet at 3 PM. I had the day to kill so my bro came by and we took off into town to pick up a few things that I need around the place. Afterwards I witnessed the funniest driving test I have ever seen in my life. Questions that I overheard included...
"Are you suuuure that you want to pick this answer?"
"How about you sit back down and try again on these 5 questions that might not be correct."
Needless to say I am pretty sure that person passed the test.
I ended up being pick up in the grocery store parking lot while I was walking to work by my boss. He noticed a guy in headphones he had not seen around town and assumed it was me. What a guess! I got the tour of the plant and got some more information on my position. There is loads of shelf stocking to be done but there are also some marketing projects that the owner has thought up of for me. I am pleased to have the opportunity to expand my role and hopefully gain some meaningful experience. I was home in time to meet up with a few people for the White Stripes concert. They are doing a cross country tour visiting every capital city in Canada. Good Luck in Nunavut...
The concert itself was pretty good. The beer lines on the other hand... well I missed most of the concert waiting for two beers. I managed to get back to the main area for the encore. I was happy that it ended up being about 30 minutes. At the end of the concert they picked up the Territorial flag and waved it around while the audience went nuts! It was a pretty awesome experience. I am not a big fan of the Stripes but it was nice to get out and see a band. After the show I headed home for some shut eye as the next day was my first full day at work.
I will post about that later as I am getting picked up for grocery shopping shortly.
Stay well...
I took off on Monday morning after spending extreme amounts of time packing about 45 minutes before I left for the airport. Needless to say I am sure I forgot more than one item under my bed. I waited for quite sometime in the Edmonton Airport before getting one of the last seats on my flight up to the Knife. I was really impressed that my bro was actually waiting IN the airport when I walked through the doors. Its a nice feeling to arrive with a drive waiting. After stopping by the softball field where I decided I am definitely going to join the summer league we went out for a couple of beers. I was home in bed pretty early as the next day I had to get out to the office and meet my boss and get a tour of the warehouse as I went through the hiring process over the phone and e-mail. The sun is pretty much up overnight so I pretty much didn't feel tired at all. The sun does set, but it remains "twilight" overnight. Lots of people have a lot of trouble sleeping because the sun seeps through the blinds and lights the room. People even put tin foil on their windows to block out the sun. Luckily I am having minimal problems. When have I ever really had a problem sleeping?
The next day I spoke with my boss and we arranged to meet at 3 PM. I had the day to kill so my bro came by and we took off into town to pick up a few things that I need around the place. Afterwards I witnessed the funniest driving test I have ever seen in my life. Questions that I overheard included...
"Are you suuuure that you want to pick this answer?"
"How about you sit back down and try again on these 5 questions that might not be correct."
Needless to say I am pretty sure that person passed the test.
I ended up being pick up in the grocery store parking lot while I was walking to work by my boss. He noticed a guy in headphones he had not seen around town and assumed it was me. What a guess! I got the tour of the plant and got some more information on my position. There is loads of shelf stocking to be done but there are also some marketing projects that the owner has thought up of for me. I am pleased to have the opportunity to expand my role and hopefully gain some meaningful experience. I was home in time to meet up with a few people for the White Stripes concert. They are doing a cross country tour visiting every capital city in Canada. Good Luck in Nunavut...
The concert itself was pretty good. The beer lines on the other hand... well I missed most of the concert waiting for two beers. I managed to get back to the main area for the encore. I was happy that it ended up being about 30 minutes. At the end of the concert they picked up the Territorial flag and waved it around while the audience went nuts! It was a pretty awesome experience. I am not a big fan of the Stripes but it was nice to get out and see a band. After the show I headed home for some shut eye as the next day was my first full day at work.
I will post about that later as I am getting picked up for grocery shopping shortly.
Stay well...
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