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.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
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!
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