Well, news travels fast and as previously mentioned I am moving to a town called Swift Current in Saskatchewan. I will be a full-time reporter there, but I will be working for, and thus published in, three different newspapers.
With the economy as it is, each under-staffed paper could not afford to hire it's own reporter, but by combining their resources they were able to afford me. (I guess I don't come cheap! lol.) So I will be a full-time reporter/ photographer all over southwestern Saskatchewan.
Below are the links to the papers I will be published in. There is an extra link to the Prairie Post, which has a cool on-line paper feature. You can view and read the paper in the exact same format it was printed in. I heart this feature.
The Prairie Post:
http://www.prairiepost.com/
The Prairie Post online paper feature **NOTE: I am published in the Prairie Post EAST**
http://www.prairiepost.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3207&Itemid=79
Maple Creek News-Times:
http://www.maplecreeknews.com/
The Shaunavon Standard:
http://www.theshaunavonstandard.com/
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I didn't need a block heater before now and other things I'm going to miss about Ontario
Today I'm a little sad. It is minus 27 degrees in Swift Current; minus 35 with the wind chill. (1 degree in KW; no wind chill.) Yesterday I went to CAA and got maps and travel insurance. Today my car came back from the shop in 'ready to go' condition - (albeit without a block heater; I have to get one put in next fall.) It's sinking in; I'm really leaving.
I got an email from Aunt Cathy with her and Uncle Andrew's love and support (Thanks guys!) but it reminded me that I will be missing Andrea's shower and possibly her wedding. My friends are buying concert tickets. They are going to see the Hip and No Doubt. Tom Cochrane & Red Rider are touring this summer. None of them are coming to Saskatchewan. I'm going to miss summer concert season at the centre of the universe - the greater Toronto area, for the uninitiated. I look forward to summer concert season the way small children anticipate Christmas.
Last week I was told that the first Pizza Pizza west of Ontario is opening up in Swift Current. They just got their first Shopper's Drug Mart. Their malls close at 6pm every night except Friday. Their libraries are not open every day of the week.
In comparison, I am coming from a place where you can get just about everything at just about anytime. In Ontario we are a place to live and a place to grow, oh Ontari-ari-ario, but we are also an over-crowded place to rush around like the world is on fire. We want it all, right now and we want you to get it for us.
So if I get out of a mall containing every store imaginable at 9pm, I can still party until 3am. Then I can get pizza and visit an all night Shopper's. Sleep? Who needs sleep? We have 24 hour arcades and bowling and movies until 3am. And coffee. Boy do we love our lattes out here! The closest Starbucks to me is 1 hour and 45 mins away out there. There are only 15 in the whole province. 15! In Toronto, there are four Starbucks and two Second Cups at the Eaton's Centre alone. Regina - a two and a half hour drive from me - has the province's only two Second Cups. (There are more than 50 Second Cups and 322 Starbucks in the land of plenty, aka Ontario, in case you were wondering.)
I'm leaving my home and my family for someplace completely foreign. Yes, it's the same country, but in this sense, it may as well be Mars. It's cold, it's flat, it doesn't have lattes and I need special equipment installed in my shuttle to live there. And that's just for starters!
I was told to expect some culture shock. I don't think I really understood what that meant. Maybe I still don't. I guess I've been spoiled, but I'm sure going to miss this place. *sighs*
I got an email from Aunt Cathy with her and Uncle Andrew's love and support (Thanks guys!) but it reminded me that I will be missing Andrea's shower and possibly her wedding. My friends are buying concert tickets. They are going to see the Hip and No Doubt. Tom Cochrane & Red Rider are touring this summer. None of them are coming to Saskatchewan. I'm going to miss summer concert season at the centre of the universe - the greater Toronto area, for the uninitiated. I look forward to summer concert season the way small children anticipate Christmas.
Last week I was told that the first Pizza Pizza west of Ontario is opening up in Swift Current. They just got their first Shopper's Drug Mart. Their malls close at 6pm every night except Friday. Their libraries are not open every day of the week.
In comparison, I am coming from a place where you can get just about everything at just about anytime. In Ontario we are a place to live and a place to grow, oh Ontari-ari-ario, but we are also an over-crowded place to rush around like the world is on fire. We want it all, right now and we want you to get it for us.
So if I get out of a mall containing every store imaginable at 9pm, I can still party until 3am. Then I can get pizza and visit an all night Shopper's. Sleep? Who needs sleep? We have 24 hour arcades and bowling and movies until 3am. And coffee. Boy do we love our lattes out here! The closest Starbucks to me is 1 hour and 45 mins away out there. There are only 15 in the whole province. 15! In Toronto, there are four Starbucks and two Second Cups at the Eaton's Centre alone. Regina - a two and a half hour drive from me - has the province's only two Second Cups. (There are more than 50 Second Cups and 322 Starbucks in the land of plenty, aka Ontario, in case you were wondering.)
I'm leaving my home and my family for someplace completely foreign. Yes, it's the same country, but in this sense, it may as well be Mars. It's cold, it's flat, it doesn't have lattes and I need special equipment installed in my shuttle to live there. And that's just for starters!
I was told to expect some culture shock. I don't think I really understood what that meant. Maybe I still don't. I guess I've been spoiled, but I'm sure going to miss this place. *sighs*
Friday, March 6, 2009
The travels of a little green car - Part one
Hello all!
As many of you know, I have a new job out west. I will be starting as a reporter/ photographer at the Prairie Post, Shaunavon Standard and Maple Creek News-Times on March 23rd. I leave my home, sweet home, in Ontari-ari-ario on March 19th, heading west.
In preparation for the trip I have been overhauling my car. A little green 1996, Toyota Camry that I bought back in November. It has a 2.2L, 4cyl. engine. When I got it, it had just over 310,000 km on it. Now it has just over 314,600 km on it. And it's costing me a small fortune.
It needed a rear-left tie-rod (there was a hole in it and my wheels could have fallen off), a tire rotation and alignment, a new timing belt, all new oil seals (I'm leaking gigantic puddles on the driveway apparently), and now, it would seem I need new front mounts too (whatever those are. I don't speak car.)
When I purchased this car for just over $3K, I was told this was an "awesome deal." Oh yeah, $750 in repairs later, it's been a great deal. *rolls eyes.* Not that I didn't expect at least SOME of this.
And then there's the little problem of the vibration that will never go away because my harmonic stabilizer is broken and cannot ever be fixed properly. So, my car sings to me. Which is why I lovingly named her Harmony.
Harmony and I will be heading west soon, taking pictures of our journey along the way. I will be posting a picture of my car (once I get it washed) and trying to post as many of the pictures as I can of the trip.
I'm excited, but nervous too. If you've ever been west in a car (or at all really) let me know how it went and any advice you may have!
See you soon!
As many of you know, I have a new job out west. I will be starting as a reporter/ photographer at the Prairie Post, Shaunavon Standard and Maple Creek News-Times on March 23rd. I leave my home, sweet home, in Ontari-ari-ario on March 19th, heading west.
In preparation for the trip I have been overhauling my car. A little green 1996, Toyota Camry that I bought back in November. It has a 2.2L, 4cyl. engine. When I got it, it had just over 310,000 km on it. Now it has just over 314,600 km on it. And it's costing me a small fortune.
It needed a rear-left tie-rod (there was a hole in it and my wheels could have fallen off), a tire rotation and alignment, a new timing belt, all new oil seals (I'm leaking gigantic puddles on the driveway apparently), and now, it would seem I need new front mounts too (whatever those are. I don't speak car.)
When I purchased this car for just over $3K, I was told this was an "awesome deal." Oh yeah, $750 in repairs later, it's been a great deal. *rolls eyes.* Not that I didn't expect at least SOME of this.
And then there's the little problem of the vibration that will never go away because my harmonic stabilizer is broken and cannot ever be fixed properly. So, my car sings to me. Which is why I lovingly named her Harmony.
Harmony and I will be heading west soon, taking pictures of our journey along the way. I will be posting a picture of my car (once I get it washed) and trying to post as many of the pictures as I can of the trip.
I'm excited, but nervous too. If you've ever been west in a car (or at all really) let me know how it went and any advice you may have!
See you soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)