Tired and upset

There should be snow in this picture because it snowed, lightly, for most of the day. I took this just so people could get a better view of the antlers and the dogs.

One day while I was running I heard a horrible screeching sound coming up behind me. I turned around to look and saw a big ol'truck pulling a boat along the gravel road. I am currently nursing an injured foot that's the result of running (at slow pace) on that gravel and I can only imagine that the boat left its hull in small bits and pieces as it was dragged along. There's probably a legitimate reason why the boat wasn't secured to the box of the truck. Probably.

My apologies for the composition of this shot; I was more concerned about making sure my sunglasses were in the photo and it shows. This derelict and roofless shack is situated right along the harbour -it's possible to see the the ice through the adjacent window. I'm sure I've mentioned this before but housing is in short supply in Tuk (like many northern communities). One of my students, a smart and capable fellow, had no interest pursuing further education because he just received a house through the housing association. The chance to get off income support and learn a trade were dwarfed by finally having his own place.

5 points to whoever finds my sunglasses.

Atlantic

This wasn't taken from my office window but it's the view I see whenever I look outside. One fine afternoon I was treated to a funny act between one of the dogs in the picture and a raven. I'm pretty sure the dog was bored because he seemed to be humouring the bird more than anything. The raven would land just out of reach of the dog's chain and the dog would causally trot to the end of his rope and jump up (in what can only be described as mock indignation) when he couldn't reach the raven. The raven would then fly to a new spot, just out of reach, and the process would repeat. I must not have had any students that day because I think I watched those two for awhile.

Three are three dogs in this picture - can you spot them all (5 Katoni Points to whoever does). An additional 5 points to whoever spots the caribou antlers. Good luck.

Ceiling of Plankton

You know it's bad when even the hamlet maintenance worker has given up on the only hardware store. I've never been in the place, largely because I've had no need to go but also because (like everyone else in town) I never know when the store will be open. The hours are not fixed and tend to fall late at night. Find yourself needing a shovel after a snow storm - you'll just have to wait until 9:00pm or maybe even later. Maybe the store won't open at all - how do you feel about that? That's not something any shoveler wants to consider.

I've heard the store does have a fine assortment of porn for sale. There must be some connection between this and the late night hours. In my mind the hardware store has taken on a very seedy image - the covered windows certainly don't help.

Can you find the chair in the picture? (I think this one is tough). The winner will receive 5 Katoni Points.

The story of who I am

It was -7 this morning. The air was damp from the fog and, as always, it was windy. I have to give the wind its due - it never stops. Admittedly my initial fervor to run despite the weather has been tempered by some extremely fresh breezes. Wait - what kind of scale is this? I'm upgrading that previous sentence to 'near gale' wind forces. Though when I think about it - how do I know that the wind wouldn't have broken branches off trees? Moreover, there are no tiles on the roofs up here (they were probably all blown off before). So, as I was saying, I didn't run during severe gales but I was out there for just about everything else.

Well that was tangential. There are two boats in this picture - can you find them?

My laser's blinking

Here's a glimpse of the space in between the mission house and the next door neighbour (if you look really, really hard you can see a sleeping puppy in front of the dog house). I'm starting to think that it's unlikely I'll see any unfrozen expanses of the Arctic Ocean before I leave. The ice in the harbour is nowhere near disappearing and the cool temperatures aren't doing much to speed things along. I'm going to try and take a picture of Tuk everyday (and post it) before I leave at the end of June.

gone so long

Some kids playing in the snow with the tundra stretching into the horizon. There haven't been too many days where the weather was warm enough for people to do much outside. (Can you spot the pompom on the top of a toque somewhere in this photo?)

I took this on my short walk to work one morning. The houses in the distance (far left) are actually on the edge of the harbour. I'll be sure to take a similar picture when the ice breaks up.

I may have been the only person to go to work during last week's blizzard (at least in the morning). There was a bit of lull in the wind when I took this. It was cool (figuratively and literally) to be out in an Arctic blizzard but I saw first hand how easy it would be to get turned around and totally disoriented when the world becomes nothing more than a few shades of gray and white.

The snow is probably close to to 4 meters deep. The recent blizzard was key in the formation of the stylish peaks on the snow bank that now mostly covers the sign for the Learning Centre.

Another morning shot. I took this shortly after arriving in Tuk. The daylight has already extended so much that I'd have to leave well over an hour earlier to try and catch the same lighting.

Kids don't stand a chance

(There's an ocean around here somewhere)

Never again will I take for granted the infrastructure that delivers clean water and removes sewage. In the brief time I’ve worked here the Learning Centre has had to be shut down due to a lack of running water/plumbing. The cause, as I later learned, was that the water reservoir for the school ran low and this in turn burned out the water pump. It’s now a week after the problem was fixed and our sewage hasn’t been pumped out since. Too much sewage is not only malodorous but it affects the water from being a) pumped into the school from the delivery truck and b) running when turning on the faucets/ flushing the toilet. If it’s not rectified soon the Learning Centre will have to close down again. A call to the Hamlet office was received by a rather cranky woman telling me the problem was due to a recent blizzard. She didn’t seem receptive to the idea that the lack of delivery predated the blizzard; she did however take the time to reiterate that the blizzard was the cause of the problem.

Showering at the mission house (where I live) is never a sure thing either. I’ve come back from running only to find out that water wasn’t delivered and that conservation measures are now in effect. It’s not a nice feeling to go to bed knowing that you’re mostly covered in dried sweat.

Interestingly the delivery/ removal systems are two of the few job options available to residents of the hamlet. My housemate told me that the unemployment rate in Tuk is at 80% (I will endeavour to back this up). The students at the Learning Centre certainly seem to reflect this as they do not (at this point) seem to have any clear idea of what they’d like to do with their academic upgrading. If anything the school provides a break from online gambling, movies, and video games for some of the students. I’ve had people show up after missing a day saying they were absent because they were gambling at a friend’s house (definitely an inexcusable absence). One student had a particularly bleak attitude about his future prospects. “You live to die,” he said during class. He went on to say that there is no hope of anything better up here when it comes to employment or having more to do. I countered that there is hope – that his being at the Learning Centre meant something and would lead to something if worked for it.

A cloak of Elvenkind

I'm not going to lie - it's really fracking cold up here. There's usually a strong wind that comes right off the Arctic ocean and even though Environment Canada says it's only in the -30s, I say it's colder than anything I've experienced before. Unsurprisingly there isn't much happening outside at any given time.

I guess someone made a decision not to shovel the steps leading to the learning centre prior to my arrival (maybe it was too cold). I had already chipped away the the snow bank that had a few footholds kicked in before I took this photo. A person wanting to gain access to the school literally had to climb up a wall of snow.

It took me well over an hour but I managed to dig out the bottom steps. I'm glad there are no students who require use of the ramp leading to the school - you can kind of see the railing in this picture.

Coming up this week is the Beluga Jamboree. Much like the Muskrat Jamboree in Inuvik there will be all sorts of competitions for people to show off their skills in areas such as: starting a fire and making bannock, ice fisihing, skidooing and dog-sledding to name a few. It should be fun and provide me with a few photo ops.

Spiders in the kitchen

Arctic life lesson: Remember that I am only mostly invincible.

I thought of this as I watched frost crystals bloom across the sweatshirt covering my chest and felt the moisture around my mouth turn to ice. I had been running with what I thought was a gentle wind against my back but when I turned around it exerted a bitterly cold force almost greater than the speed I was running. Walking wasn't an option as I was somewhat afraid of my sweat freezing and and then I'd have to consider the implications of being 'mostly invincible'. Arctic Wind: 0, Jesse V: 1

Go further

There was a big snowstorm here a few weeks ago. I'm told it knocked out all communication systems but fortunately not the power. The implication of this is that people had no access to any form of money or even information of the world at large for several days. Most people were able to open a tab at the grocery store but some had to borrow from those lucky enough to have actual cash on them. The remnants of the blizzard seem to have been piled in front of the Learning Centre.

One day, maybe soon, I will climb the pingos I can see from the window at the Learning Centre. Today was kind of crazy at work. There hasn't been an instructor here for several months and it really shows. I'm going to approach this with the same mentality I've used with running: it can only get better.

Bound away

View Tuk in a larger map

I've only been here for a day but I feel comfortable saying that life in Tuk is remarkably different than Inuvik. For starters, I feel like I'm living at the edge of the world (in a way I guess I am). As well, there's something unsettling about living in a climate where trees can't grow. I took my camera out this morning and it was so cold that it stopped being able to function (it was fine after being inside for a minute). There are two grocery stores (one deals mainly in dry bulk goods and frozen goods). Food prices are steep -$12.00 for 2 litres of milk and that's with the ice road open. Produce is, unsurprisingly, not in great shape (it's like it tried to go a few rounds with Mohamed Ali); the diminished state doesn't translate into cheaper prices. In a bigger city I'm pretty sure most grocers wouldn't even try selling what's available up here.

At this point I don't miss booze but it is different that I can't buy some whenever I want. My roommates asked that I bring them some wine - most of which has already been put to good use. Another difference I'm sure I'll miss in the future is that Tuk is without a restaurant. Fortunately I seem to have hit the jackpot and ended up with housemates that like to cook (and cook well).

Tomorrow is the first day of my new job. There are a lot of unanswered questions about what I'm doing and what's been happening at the Centre in the absence of a teacher. I have the key to the building and my supervisor is a 2 and 1/2 hour drive away. I guess I'm up to bat.

come on and wake me up

Wasiata.blogspot.com is now: unpaused.

A scant two weeks ago I was in the Bahamas with Capital M for the wedding of Hamesy and Dyson (nickname approval pending). The wedding was a blast though I'm still off rye and liquor in general. It pains me to say this but I think teenagers handle their booze better than I do. In my defense I was trying to help the newly wedded couple get the most for their money at the open bar. Yes, gentle reader - I drank for the noblest of reasons.

Shortly after arriving back in Toronto I was offered a short term contract with Aurora College - this time in the smaller, more northern community of Tuktoyaktuk. The job offer had been a long time in coming (I applied before Christmas) and it explains the view from where I am currently sitting.

From the window in the kitchen I can see the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean if you'd rather) and a lone pingo in the distance. What I don't see are any trees or anything more than the tips of grass poking through the snow. The thermometer outside the window reads a temperature thirty degrees colder than the weather in Toronto. I share a home with 4 other people (I never thought I'd have housemates again) and have already been treated to what may have been the finest bowl of soup this side of the Arctic Circle. Housing in Tuk is extremely limited and I'm actually lucky that this place had a spare room.

I start my job on Monday - on Tuesday I'm having an open house so if anyone is interested in seeing the Learning Centre please come by (seriously).

Jazzy good times

I'd like to apologize to anyone I may have drunkenly tweeted, excessively praised, or stopped in the street on New Year's Eve. My memory of that night gets pretty hazy a couple of hours before midnight and totally blanks out before the ball dropped in Times Square. I guess it was a fun night though I'm still hearing new and embarrassing stories of things that I did. Fortunately I didn't do anything illegal or amoral and I don't think I'm barred from returning to the home at which the party took place (thank goodness they have hardwood floors). I did fall to the floor while trying to dance (I may been have doing a solo but for all I know I could have been with the cast of All That Jazz (maybe I thought I was)).

What better time to write up the best of 2010 than in the aftermath of its last booze fueled night.

Best movie:
I saw a lot of movies in Inuvik – on my computer (there is no movie theatre in town). I’d have to give the “best movie I watched on my laptop, on my lap” award to Moon. It sort of reminded me of Cast Away but set on the moon, and it had a robot fond of emoticons, and clones.

Best Movie in a Theatre:
I'm not sure someone didn't plant this in my dream but I'd have to give it to Inception. (Pa Rum pum pum). Wait, did Hames already make that joke?

Best book :

Hands down the best thing I read this year was Scott Pilgrim by Brain Lee O'Malley. Six volumes filled with everything I like: friendships, love, video game, pop culture and music references, a great sense of humour and a thoroughly enjoyable story.

Best regular books:

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I know I know - it's non-fiction. The story of Chris McCandless is an intriguing one and I'm glad I was able to get over my usual disdain of real life stories.

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I have to read this one again - someday. Here's a tip for first time readers - remember that there is such a thing as an unreliable narrator. Don't worry I didn't ruin anything.

Best music:

This is a tough one but I'll give it to Forest City Lovers and their new album Carriage. A very close runner up would be the latest from Magneta Lane - Gambling with God. I'd recommend Constellation and Castles respectively.

Most memorable concert:

A friend invited Capital M and I to see Helmut and a few other bands perform at Lee's Palace (a venue that is also featured in Scott Pilgrim). The scene was set when the drummer of the first band burned about 25,800 calories during the 25 minute set. The crowd didn't get as intense as the Juggalos that attacked Tila Tequila but for a guy who has listed the above albums as his favourites of the year it was pretty intense - in a good way.

Best snow experience:

Chi and Cha. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those commands for getting sled dogs to turn right or left. Some quick internet research has told me the commands are Gee and Haw - maybe this will explain why the dogs never responded to me. Regardless, dog sledding up north stands out as one of my favourite experiences in a very long time.

A very close runner up would be driving on the Arctic Ocean when M and I went to Tuktoyaktuk.

Best café:

If you find yourself in Whitehorse, YK, I'd highly recommend checking out Baked. They may not have a website but they do have some excellent recipes for scones, and soups and lots of other stuff that looked really good.

Best game:

Heavy Rain by Quantic Dream for PS3. This was an altogether different kind of gaming experience. It wasn't without its faults but did an excellent job of forcing players to answer the question - how far would you go to save someone you love?

Best camping moment:

No biblical rainstorms this year but water does factor into the decision. Anyone looking for massive waves in Ontario should check out the area around Turkey Point, Lake Erie.

Best travel experience:
Maybe one of the best things about travelling is the chance to reconnect with old friends. Seeing Hamesy and Danielle (nickname coming soon) in Vancouver was the highlight of a trip filled with memorable moments.

Danielle gave us a behind the scenes tour of the Vancouver Aquarium:

I was kissed by a Fur Seal - how cool is that!

Hamesy was chalk full of fun facts about Vancouver. He also introduced me to Rye and Ginger - a drink that reduced me to a drunken, rolling on the floor mess a few nights ago. Here's a new fun fact - Jesse can't handle that much Rye.

I think that wraps up the greatest hits from 2010. I wish everyone all the best in 2011.

Merry and bright

Ah Christmas time. The onetime of year that my body shrugs off natural inclinations for sleep and I find myself wide awake at 5:00am. It doesn’t seem to matter what time I go to bed the night before or how tired I may have been. There’s only man I know who willingly wakes up at that time (to go to the gym no less) - that’s great for him but I’d rather be sleeping. Instead my mind races with all kinds of thoughts- most of them inane.

Today’s sleepless thoughts:

Friday, November 23rd, 2007 – I have two weeks to start and finish my 14 term page paper. All I have to do is write one page every day and it’s done.

Friday, November 30th, 2007 – Okay, one week to go – two pages a day – no problem

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007 – Why have I done this to myself? One page an hour – I can do this. Better still I have 16 hours before class – that means I have one hour of free time now and maybe one easy-time hour after page 8. Let’s see if I can beat my best time in Mine Sweeper. I don't even like mine sweeper but if I do this now I'll be more focused later.

Friday, Dec.7, 2007 – These experiences (there were many) sure make me appreciate being able to sleep. I’m really glad that once school is finished I won’t have any reason to be awake at or by 5:00am (wink).

Sorry I’ve been gone so long.

Home

I just wanted to give a big thank you to the swans and ducks for their help in tonight's "Operation ask M." She said yes amidst moonlight reflecting off gossamer feathers. A short time later and they were gone - but the memory will last forever.

(photo taken at Lower Dewey lake in Skagway, Alaska)

going home, eventually

View North West West Coast Adventure in a larger map
Here's my trip home. I'll update more when I get back to Toronto. This was my first time using My maps in Google. It's a cool program but not entirely user friendly.

Dawson

Do you know who lived in this cabin? Robert Service - the man who penned "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and other hit poems.

Dawson city's streets aren't paved with gold - they're not paved with anything at all. The city has dirt streets and wooden plank sidewalks. How cool is that?

This gives me an idea for a new tv series, "Little House on the River." It could be about a girl named Nora Tamer whose father inexplicably built a tiny cabin on the Yukon river.

Canada Day in Dawson. A boring photo but gives a sense of the town. The road in this picture is paved because it's part of the highway.

From Inuvik to Dawson

The Demspter highway is not for the faint of heart. This isn't to say that it's overly perilous but it is an altogether different kind of driving experience. The road varies between 1 -2 lanes (the two lane sections are usually designated as emergency landings for aircraft) and it's entirely unpaved. The shoulders tend to be soft which means that a driver has to be alert in order to avoid a calamitous accident.

It was a rainy kind of day when we left and the roads were very muddy. For the most part it was fine but the areas before and after the 2 ferry crossings and another section by a work camp had some deep ruts that made the going pretty tough. Interestingly, the driver of the car told me that it's better to have the roads muddy because the alternative (when there's no snow) leads to dusty roads with poor visibility.

This is some sort of cotton flower. They're all wet in this photo but when dry they look and feel just like cotton balls.

Here's a view from the Dempster highway. At times I felt as though there should be a woolly mammoth or two wandering about - they would have fit the setting perfectly.

This was taken on the way to Whitehorse at a place called "5 finger rapids." It's famous because many would be prospectors sailed hand made rafts down the Yukon river and found themselves with 5 different channels to choose from; only one of which is passable.

hot in here

I leave tomorrow (the day timer is off) for Whitehorse. I'll be travelling with Capital M for a couple of weeks and then heading back to Toronto in mid July. I still have a few photos and thoughts on Inuvik that I'm going to post in the coming weeks. Until then my faithful readers I hope you have a wonderful summer.

Masi Cho (thank you) for all your comments and support while I was here.

Jesse V.

The cold winds blow

I did not go Into the Wild like Chris McCandless but I think we both came to the same conclusion about life in our respective Northern experiences. When asked if I would like to renew my contract for next year I declined.

Happiness only real when shared - Chris McCandless