I received these pictures in an e-mail earlier today. Not sure who took them, but they demonstrate the full impact of flooding in my home province of Manitoba (St. Adolphe is a 10-minute drive from my parent's house):
Morris, MB:
House outside of Morris, MB:
Highway 75, south of Morris, MB:
Border Crossing to the U.S. on Highway 75:
Home near St. Adolphe, MB:
I love pizza. Let me re-emphasize that: I LOVE, loooove, lurve pizza. At my wedding, it will shamelessly be the main course; if I'm ever on death row, it will be the last meal I savour. I could not be a true pizza aficionado though without visiting Italy at least once in my lifetime. And so I made it happen. Nom, nom, nom.
I decided years ago that I wanted to visit every country in the world to experience how different people live firsthand. It's a big commitment that has involved plenty o' pennypinching and planning, but the payoff is memories that will last a lifetime. My trip to Italy has surely granted me some...including a few that I would rather forget. The excursion could not have started worse - first off, Air Canada somehow gave us the wrong boarding passes which I noticed, of course, right before getting on the plane (good thing too, because I've heard nothing but bad things about Abbottabad); once on the plane, I lost the corrected ones causing another delay. My travel parter got a headphone stuck in his ear canal that had to be plucked out with tweezers (but not before causing a severe migraine) and my first introduction to the love of my life (pizza, in case you suffer short-term memory loss) left me feeling used and abused. Literally. I paid €18 for a mediocre slice (approximately $25CDN) that left me ill for three days.
When visiting the Eternal City, two things are apparent straight-away:
1) Italian accents are the most amazing thing in the world.
2) They can't be arsed about cleaning graffiti.
Despite it covering nearly every surface, Rome is still as pretty as a picture. Wandering the streets drinking up the scenery with no particular place to go was my favorite thing to do...I admit though that this opinion partially stems from the fact that I am a cheapskate who found everything to be quite expensive. Including using the washroom. Actually, pay or not, if you can find a toilet in Rome it becomes a more appreciated sight than the Pantheon or Spanish Steps. They are few and far between.
One of the first sites I visited was the Colosseum. It is the fourth wonder of the world that I have seen in person. To think that nearly 2000 years ago, crowds in the thousands gathered to cheer on the bloody, gory death of a gladiator for entertainment. Today we congregate to buy Caesar bobbleheads and "I roamed Rome" t-shirts. If you think that's Velveeta, just wait till I tell you about the Vatican and their holy bottled water! En-route to the Colosseum, I noticed a parade of some sort winding through the streets. With rainbow flags waving and Kylie Minogue music blaring, I assumed it was Gay Pride. Europop is an (embarrassingly) guilty pleasure, so I decided to follow for a bit...walking faster than the float, I next came upon a group made up of flag-waving Communists chanting something that probably had to do with Mao or Layton, and then a truck blasting techno music. This is where things got a bit darker. I witnessed a few individuals wearing masks tagging buildings with yet more graffiti. I anticipated the notorious Black Bloc making an appearance, but nothing happened. Everyone congregated at the Colosseum to hold a protest about government ineptitude (and buy bobbleheads).
To be continued...
Me at the Colosseum:
Roman Forum:
A cat rescue was allowed to let the animals live at the ruins (prime real estate to catch the eye of an adoptive family):
My favorite building in Rome (Monumento Nazionale):
Government protests:
The SIAST Creative Department had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity recently to interview legendary cover band rock star - and SIAST Continuing Education student - Jett Michaels. Here is his story. Now break out the lighters...and cowbell:
It took awhile to sort through all 864 of them, but a gallery of images from my recent trip to Italy has just been added. You can view them here. Travelogue coming soon.
Gallery of images from my recent trip to the Vatican have been uploaded and can be viewed here. Travelogue coming soon.
I would not classify myself an an Apple product whore, but there I was Friday afternoon standing in line in negative double-digit temps in an attempt to get an iPad 2. In between weighing the pros and cons of a luddite existence and wondering how long until frostbite sets in, I had a lot of time to question my life and my choices. One thing I've solidly decided is to never, ever, do this again. Ever.
I prepped myself by researching where and when the fabled device would go on sale. Best Buy, who appeared to have a deal set up with Apple, promoted a 5:00 p.m. launch with a limit of two iPads per customer. This is what I required, as the entire purpose of the purchase was so that I can videochat with my parents in Winnipeg who seem to miss wee Monty more than they do me (Facetime offers the fun of seeing him on a daily basis without the new dog smell). However, I predicted that every Tom, Dick and Steve Jobs-wannabe would be at the big blue boxstore, so I decided to scope out Neural Net, a small authorized Apple retailer located in a mall surrounded by retirement homes. Thinking it was too depressing a place for people to willingly wait for hours on end at (not to mention that old person smell), I made my way over.
To my surprise, a queue of about 10 individuals had already formed. I'm not sure how long their wait had been, but one woman had two kids (and a stack of colouring books) in tow. To drain out the noise and offer a distraction from all the senior citizens who stopped to stare at our collective madness, I turned on my iPod and started listening to Adele's latest album. A Neural Net staff member came around to pass out chocolates and keep everyone abreast of how sales would be organized; it was then that I was informed of a limit of 1 iPad per customer. Thanking her for the sugar rush, I dashed over to Best Buy.
As mentioned, I've never attended a hyped-up product launch like this before and didn't know what to expect. However, I was a little surprised that Best Buy made their customers wait OUTSIDE in temperatures that felt like -15 degrees celsius. I was well-layered, as every Canadian should be at all times, but my toes were frozen within 20 minutes — I can't imagine what the dude at the front of the line (who was there since 7:00 a.m.) felt like. Also, if I were the manager of this particular store, I would have gotten hot chocolate and donuts for everyone braving the elements. The line-up of twenty hardy souls equalled guaranteed sales by enthusiastic clientele...a little would have went a long way in terms of changing a simple sales transaction into a genuine consumer experience (and no, the New Years-esque countdown to 5:00 did NOT equate a genuine consumer experience).
After an hour-and-a-half in the cold, tickets were handed out depending on what type of iPad you wanted. My wishlist consisted of one black and one white 32GB, wifi. I was informed that there would be only one per customer; I reminded the employee that the Best Buy website advertised a limit of two. The iPad nazi then informed me that no, I get one. NEXT. My level of irritation started to rise; the only good thing to come of this was that they now allowed everyone to wait inside the store. Good thing, because I could no longer feel my feet.
I really had no other purpose to be there, but I had 30 minutes to kill. I checked out the television sets and the graveyard otherwise known as the CD section. The other people I met in line stood near the doorway, texting and trying to contain their excitement. Employees strutted up and down the aisles like proud egomaniacal peacocks; I imagined they felt like rock stars...but roadies would be a better comparison. They were, after all, that much closer to the object of our fandom than we could hope to be, but not really that special in and of themselves.
I observed people just walking in off the street getting tickets. The afternoon was, for the most part, a complete waste of time however I was assured that I would get a white iPad. I'm not sure what scraps these people were feasting on. But wait...where were they going? I followed them to the back of the store where a loooooonnnnnnngggggg line snaked through stereos and into television displays. I wanted to scream. Why didn't any of the Best Buy employees tell me - and the other people who've been there for hours - that there was another line to get in? Was it incompetence? Amusement? After being the 20th person in line, I was now about the 80th (not to mention suffering frostbite...probably). Another person who braved the cold complained, but it was all for nought. Best Buy knew they had our money. And they were laughing. Another 45 minutes later, I was done. It was the longest I've ever spent in a Best Buy...unfortunately for them, it will be the last time I step foot in one.
But there was still the issue of getting the second iPad. I made my way back to Neural Net chanting psalms along the way and lo-and-behold the line was gone. A friendly employee greeted me at the door and inquired what model I wanted, promptly acquiring it from the backroom. I was in-and-out within 5 minutes. No hassles. No freeze-dried limbs.
Now if only Apple had mentioned that these things don't work straight out of the box, I may have had time to enjoy it last night.
This is what Youtube was created for, actually:
Slightly over a year ago, I set my pioneering eyes west and moved to a place that would not have been my first choice for relocation. You see, I have always desired to live near the mountains, unwind near the sea...upon first glance, the vast open - and I mean open - prairie of Saskatchewan seemed to lack visual poetry (not to mention a decent shopping mall). However, looks can be deceiving and it has been over the past year that I have redefined what it means to feel at home.
Here then is a list of what I love (and hate) about Saskatoon:
LOVE
People say 'hello' to each other in the street: Modern life is a strange thing. Our reliance on technology has made us collectively indifferent to what it means to be part of a society. The simple gesture of having a stranger warmly say "hello" while en-route to work can change perspective for the entire day. In Saskatoon, this still happens. And I love it.
Boom Town: There's an energy in the air. A ~*spirited energy*~ if you will. It has recent immigrants like myself salivating over opportunity at every turn and the older generation complaining about change at too rapid a pace. Commutes apparently now take 20 minutes instead of 10.
Spadina: A beautiful, meandering drive along the North Saskatchewan River that includes such sights as The Bessborough Hotel and the Mendel Art Gallery.
Donairs: Before moving to Saskatoon, I had never heard of the culinary masterpiece otherwise known as a donair. Yes, it's basically a pita (and I've heard of those)...however, the donair takes it up a notch with meat marinated in a special blend of herbs, spices and magic sauce. It is beyond delicious.
HATE
Canada's Worst Drivers: I've been to parts of the world where the changing economic tide has only recently made it feasible for the middle class to own a vehicle. And yet, their skills behind the wheel are vastly superior to what can be found here in Saskatchewan. I'm not even joking when I state that I fear for my life most days when walking the three blocks to-and-from my workplace. Pedestrian crosswalks are a nuisance; red lights a mere formality. Canada's Worst Driver could easily film the next ten seasons in this province alone. Sadly, it's not surprising that the top story on the evening newscast is often another road fatality.
Mainstream Media: I'm a newshound - I can't start my day without reading the morning newspaper (or online equivalent) and during the dinner hour, the friendly faces of various CTV news anchors help me digest the day's events. In Saskatoon, however, I often feel left in the dark. I have no idea what's going on most of the time as the StarPhoenix isn't remotely interesting and news telecasts often only show feel-good stories. I suppose this isn't too major a complaint...Winnipeggers are just accustomed to hearing stories of crime and murder on a nightly basis. How am I supposed to feed my paranoia?
High House Prices: Calgary has more affordable housing than Saskatoon. They've also got a mountain vista, an efficient public transit system and an IKEA. Just sayin'.
Not dog-friendly: Sign, sign, everywhere a sign stating 'No Dogs Allowed'. I live downtown and it seems there are few places where I can walk my pooch without risk of getting fined. Despite breaking the law on a daily basis, it hasn't happened yet...but I do get the shifty eyes from people who fail to say "hello". I think they're just too polite to arrest me.