I can now truthfully say that I have gone sea kayaking - and I even liked it. 

So a bunch of us from work went kayaking in Deep Cove, which is this lovely ocean inlet surrounded by mountains and trees.

I didn't float out to sea, but my leg went comatose on me in the first twenty minutes or so. I couldn't MOVE it. I kept banging it on the bottom of the kayak to try and awaken it, but I couldn't even feel that. Then it got so asleep that I couldn't move my knee.
 
We were going to need to make an emergency stop so that I could un-numb my leg which had lost all feeling for at least twenty five minutes, so I just laid my leg out in the bottom of the boat. After about ten more minutes I felt the distinct, excruciating, welcome pain of pins and needles that signalled my leg regaining consciousness.

Once that was cleared up, kayaking was great.

Since it was sea kayaking, we got the benifet of looking at some sea creatures, mostly rather benign, brainless jellyfish, but also some more notable members of the animal kingdom. Over the course of our two hours on the water, three harbour seals swam over to check us out. Seals are big, their heads are about the size of footballs.  The seals were really neat though. I'm sincerely glad we didn't run into any of the killer whales that are often spotted around Deep Cove...
 
So, I'm becoming a regular outdoors sort of person. I actually enjoyed kayaking. I'd do it again! My gosh, what is B.C. doing to me?
 
Tomorrows athletic adventure?
 
Tennis, of all things.

Currently: Smelling the beautiful smells of quiche. Pie shells baking, eggs frying, bacon sizzling... lovely. All the girls are in the kitchen.
 
Today, let me say this...
 
I miss home.
 

Cinnamon Sunday.
 
Today I had a better day than any other this work week. My boss was mad, but not at me. Thank God for small mercies.
 
I spent the day making bread, I smell like smoke and spice.
 
Today marks my third week here. I count by sundays.
 
I'm going to the most awesome church ever here. St Nicholas Catholic, for their sunday night service. One of the girls who lives here got me into the worship group. It's got to be the best thing in the world after a rough week at work to just unwind and sing.
 
It was really, honestly good. 
 

open up the doors

and let the music play

let the streets resound

with singing,

songs that bring your hope

and songs that bring your joy

dancers who dance

upon injustice

 
 
 
 

 

If it comes down to it...
 
I have a decision to make. My job, and much needed cash, or my beliefs.
 
I don't even know if that's a contest.
 
If these workers go on strike I do not want to cross their picket line. If I refuse to cross it, I could very easily get fired. If I get fired, I fly home on my own buck.

I'm weighing things out in my head, is it worth it to me to lose my job so that I don't cross this picket line?
 
I'm pretty sure it is.
 
What I really hope is that it won't come down to me getting ordered to cross a picket. Then I wont be forced into an expensive choice about my integrity.
 
:: sigh :: solidarity forever.

a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
 
As the title suggests, today sucked. I got interviewed by the CBC, which was cool, but a severe pain in the ass. It was hot and I was in costume all day with an interviewer and a camerawoman telling me to do things over and over. This whole process was made more difficult by the fact that my boss needed to be near me all the time to make sure that they didn't ask me anything about the potential strike that's coming up for the union. Sigh.

By midafternoon they had decided that they were finished with me, and so after stoking the fires for a bit I was allowed to take twenty minues for lunch. We had a shortened lunch and no breaks today which was hard in itself.  So I was headed to lunch when the interview guy, Richard, came bounding up the hill at me to say that they had changed their minds and they did indeed want another shot. It was a street clothes shot so I had to change and book it to another part of the fort. They did about four takes of this shot and then took about four more because they wanted a shot of my tattoo. They finished up and thanked me for my time. By that point my boss had arrived and they thanked her too. After that they packed up their gear and left.

Then my supervisor calls me over to the side and yells at me. She was so angry that I had gotten filmed by them without her being present. On a scale of one to pissed she was past boiling point. So she laid into me for about ten minutes, told me to get back into my costume and get back to work.

She wasn't wrong in telling me off, but it still sucks getting yelled at.  

After I'd been working for a while she came over and pulled me aside again and asked me to tell her everything I'd told them in the interview. Which was absolutely nothing. There was no interview, they didn't ask me any questions. But her managers were all scared that I'd be talking about this strike. When I told her that I hadn't said anything, let alone anything I wasn't supposed to say, she countered by asking me why I had a mic on then.  How am I supposed to know? Why would I lie to her anyway?
 
She then informed me that all the students had a meeting with her and her supervisor at three thirty.
 
Great.
 
We got to the meeting and in addition to a through review of how we've been doing on the site. We all got briefed on 'What Happens When Everyone Else Goes On Strike'. So after explaining to us our (nonexistant) role in the conflict, the manager passed us each an envelope. In it is the letter that authorizes us to cross the picket line if the manager tells us to.
 
I started crying. I can't bear the thought of crossing a picket line, even if I'm not a part of this union. The interpreters have been giving us serious glances and telling us not to cross their picket line if job action happens. I like the interpreters here and I support what they're doing. I know that they would resent the students and our supervisor if we crossed the line. And a little dipshit piece of paper isn't going to change that. The managers are kidding themselves if they think it will.
 
 After the meeting, one of my coworkers wanted to know what the big deal was. After explaining a bit about picket lines and what the Parks union was after, I also said that it was basically against everything I had been taught. I said it would be like her boss telling her to go to a store and steal.  
 
I didn't even get my frigging lunch break.  

Currently: enjoying my day off.

Why is it that no matter how cool work is, days off are so much cooler? I don't know this one, but I know it to be true. Today was full of day offish bliss, which included sleeping till noon and buying a couple of jazz albums.

A side from jazz album purchase I needed to buy a new eyebrow ring. I was sincerely annoyed to find that on sunday I lost my eyebrow ring at work. I took it out for baking at the big outdoor oven. I'm hopelessly unhistoric as it is, but the eyebrow ring proved to be too much for these history buffs. Eager to please on my first day in costume, I removed the barbell and placed it carefully on the table next to our keys and ingredients.

I then promptly forgot about it until I got home from work.

Thirty dollars later my piercing is saved.

grumblegrumblegrumble

From the West Coast

So I flew in a week ago and this is the first chance I've gotten to write a post. My internet access is slightly restricted due to the fact that I have no computer.

I'm living in a tiny village in the Fraser Valley called Fort Langley. For those who need a visual, picture Ennismore... with mountains. Seriously though, it's absolutely beautiful.
I'm living in a farmhouse, with horses and black chickens with white afros... it's all very cool. I'm billeted with a rad family of very rad women. Healthy hippie esque food is plentiful and good...

I miss home, but I like it a lot here. More later folks...

.palm outstretched 

In just under forty hours I will be on a plane to Vancouver airport.

So, today being the last business day before my flight, I spent the morning with dad doing last minute chores. Matt Kay made me two cd's and gave them to me. He's been trying (somewhat successfully I might add) to interest me in techno. I've found that I really like the mellow stuff a lot. Even the harder stuff is super interesting. I think it's an aquired taste, this techno of his...

I don't know what else to write. Everything I'm doing right now has to do with winding down living here, and I've already posted a lot of that stuff. This past week has been consistently repetitive; packing, errands, and goodbyes. I'm decidedly sick of it, and I imagine that those who read this are as well.

I am, however starting to get excited. This has been a long time coming.

Next post, I'll be out west.