The hell begins.

Back from Calgary -- and 2 12 hour shifts at CTV later -- I have made the move to make the move.

I gave my notice today. The bongo's have won.

I am outta here.

Tomorrow (Sat) the searching for new digs begins...

Wish me luck!

Cheers!

Last Day In Calgary...

And how do I spend it?

Working on tax reports all morning. But there was cold pizza and warm pop, so it wasn't all bad.

Currently in Calgary it is 2:43pm. I am getting out into the glorious sunshine and gettin' me a coffee & lunch. Here its 7C. Home is 18C. Not for long though!

Cheers,

Doug

What a trip.... so much for time off...

Monday: cut my radio item in the morning, fed to CBC Winnipeg.
Afternoon: needed hair trim, met publisher of magazine looking for travel writer, exchanged details.
Evening: out on the town celebrating with Calgarians.

Tuesday: 8am -- chat with freelance Latin American writer for Globe, Star, Canadian Geographic.
11am -- meet with artist friend Connie
1pm -- meet and have lunch with promo manager at CFCN (CTV)
3pm -- hang out at A-Channel
6pm -- attend Night-of-Artists Calgary meeting, watch Flames beat wings in the rec room while drinking Trad.
9pm -- attend CBC Radio concert event at the Big Secret Theatre
12:30am -- write this. eat cold pizza. plan to head home tomorrow :(

Cheers!

Hello from Calgary!

I've been here since Saturday, and the time is flying by. It's been nice to have a break from work, though, in reality, I've been working here too.

I finally finished my latest CBC Radio piece... and then fed it to the network on Monday morning. I did it all with my powerbook, which I continue to adore.

I've been staying at my buddy Dave's place. Dave and I have been exploring the bars of Kensington -- eating poorly and sampling too many beer. That has slowed in recent days.

Yesterday (Monday), in addition to being my birthday, was a positive business day. I went to get my hair cut, and it turned out that one of the owners of the salon is starting a local magazine -- and needs a travel writer. So I've given him samples and crossed my fingers.
You never know where you'll find opportunity...

Last night we went for celebrations with a collection of interesting Calgarians. They are friends of my friends Don and Linda. D&L are from Vancouver, but are up here visiting. It was Linda's birthday as well. We had many laughs at a brew pub called the Barley Mill.

Now it is Tuesday -- and the countdown to flying home has begun... I leave Wednesday night and I'm back at work on Thursday... for a 12 hour shift. Same friday.

But I shall enjoy the present...

Cheers!

Remember me?

It seems that what was once a daily diversion is not something that rarely sees me.

But that should change soon.

The latest: Nearly finished the newest item for CBC Radio. It's on shortwave radio and it's been a long time in the making. I will finish it by Monday. But not in Vancouver. More on that later.

The contract paperwork is in the hands of the National Geographic Society. Payment due soon!

The accountant tells me I am due a refund on my late taxes. And probably more on the less late ones. And more on the soon to be late ones. I shall not let this get so out of control again. Still, its nice to be expecting money now, as I am earning a full time salary -- which means all of it goes to debt reduction. Yeah!

I was beginning to regret booking my latest trip. Was it wise to spend hundreds and be away from earning money? Well, after his past week... HELL YES!!! It's been a tough week at work... writing news. Really tough some days. Multiple deadlines. Little errors slipping through. And being tired has made it hard to concentrate. Not good.

Outside of those hours, it seems all I do is work. Whether its taxes or other projects. And I average about 5 hours of sleep a night.

So it is a blessed thing that I will have 5 days off. And then it's back to the grind. But, when payday rolls around... it's worth it.

No new roomie yet. I've decided to let that work itself out. If I have to move, I have to move. At least I know I can afford it now.

And I think I *need* to move. A change is always good. There are many other parts of Vancouver that need my presence!

And so it goes. More from Calgary beginning tomorrow. And I will return to paradise on Wednesday...

Cheers!

Back from the Washington State/Seattle weekend. What an adventure!

This will become a long story, but here are some highlights to tease:

- The smokey bar in Snoqualmie Pass.
- A large US military reservation.
- Mel's Diner
- The Yakima Hamfest & the guy with the massive antennae array on his van
- The "Work Ethic" correctional center
- 3 OT periods in the Canucks game, and SHITTY ESPN2 commentary/play by play
- The Mariners WIN!
- Going nuts in the Public Market in Seattle
- Finding Marie Sharp's hot sauce

And more!

I'd write more, but after coming home, I had to go to Caffe Barney to take down some pictures, and put up some new ones. And now, at 22:51, it is bedtime!

Work is calling... but at least not until 10:30am.

Cheers!

Thursday --

And another week flies by. I've been at CBC this week, except for Tuesday night. Other than working, I have been trying to get my taxes finished. What a chore. I also had to get a few new photos framed for a very small upcoming show.

And the Canucks are playing in the playoffs, so right now I am doing taxes and watching the game. Though I am doing neither right now.

I also must pack for Seattle, as I leave right after work tomorrow. Forecast is for clouds and 57F Saturday and sunny and warm on Sunday. Perfect for the baseball game!!

3rd period is on... I am gone!

Cheers!

Taxes SUCK!

Try converting 2 year old receipts from Ukraine into:

a) Canadian dollars on the date of purchase

b) Reading Cyrillic to figure out what it was for.

And don't get me started on Bosnia.

Aaaargh!

Sunday -- so it was 27C away from the water. 27! In April. Wacky. Can't wait for the snow in July.

Today I had a production meeting with my buddy Ted Schedd & KC Humphries, our research-God. It's all very secret -- but its also all about fun.

We even had a little water fight with the hose.

At 2, it was time to write about car accidents and fires.

And that was the day...

Cheers,

Doug

10am on a sunny Saturday morning and it is already 15C. And I have to work :(

Yesterday is was a Good Friday for me: the cancellation of a day of work meant I was able to enjoy the day. It was a pure summer day, too. In April. In Vancouver. Go figure.

The day started with a not so civil confrontation with a guy playing scales on his sax. At 10:30am. In the park next door. I tried to reason with him, and he just got all grumpy and started going off about the million dollar homes in the hood. I guess class warfare is alive and well in East Vancouver.

After giving up (and trying not to get angry myself)... I went for an awesome hike with some friends. We went on the Baden-Powell hiking trail from the north shore community of Deep Cove to a spectacular look off over Indian Arm. There were lots of people -- and a few traffic jams. But it was about 2 hours of good exercise.

Which we then ruined with burgers and pints at the Raven Pub.

Then it was off to change before meeting up with more people at Fet's, We were there to watch game 2 of the Calgary-Vancouver playoffs. And Vancouver lost.

'Nuff said.

Cheers!

The Great Baltic Border Expedition was published today!

Here it is:

http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=1917


Enjoy!

Doug

Life today:
News, news, news.
Canucks win.
Taxes continue to tax.
23:32 -- off to bed.

Oh yeah: Another article in Georgia Straight tomorrow.

Shortwave radio piece approved. Will cut soon.

And...

Touched a Nikon D70 digital camera. It's my next camera.

Now I am off to bed...

Cheers!

Today is 04-04-04.
It won't happen again for 100 years.
Though isn't that true any day?

I am very tired.

Cheers

Another triple payday. Nice! These are the rewards of working lots:

A beer after work with friends. And purchasing €100 and US$60 to add to the forced savings program.

Good news today too, about airfare. I have seen Vancouver - Copenhagen airfares less than $1000.

And borderfreak Peter Hering has found a rental van for August that will cost €175 each (there are only 4 of us so far) for a 10 day (I think) rental. Dandy!

The Central European Border Trip is almost a reality. And another write-off.

Speaking of which, the latest travel article -- on the Great Baltic Border Expedition -- is to be published next Thursday. Which, of course, means a little more income.

It's going to be a good summer, I think...

Cheers!

Doug

Still working. Life consists of little more than going to work and doing chores at home. Just like 90% of the world. My next day off is Sunday, and then April 17th. But at least there are some things to look forwards to: a couple of Seattle Marniners Games (April 17 & 28) and a trip to Calgary (April 24-28).

This week I was lucky to have my work changed from writing news at night to producing the health segment during the day. Nice change of pace!

Summer continues here -- beautiful warm days, but cold nights.

I'll be on CBC Radio 2 Saturday night for a thing about borders. Between 8 and 9 I think.

And now I must go to work...

Cheers!