It's official... no more time on the prairies for this guy. After what seemed like an extremely fast trip back to the motherland for work (and a good excuse to visit the family), I made a pit-stop in the Okanagan for my student-teacher orientation for the fall, and was back here last night, only to return to the lovely land of work until 4am. Je suis tres fatiguee.
After getting back home after the drive/ferry trip, it seemed like everything had changed. Of course, the place was pretty much exactly as I left it. The ocean was still in it's proper place surrounding the rock, the roads seemed as if they were holding tight to the ground underneath, and the elderly drivers moving at 10km/h below the posted speed limit were still immediately in front of me. Even home was the same (only more clean, since I hadn't been around to make a mess for almost a month). And all I wanted to do last night was to curl up and watch a crappy movie and go to bed, but unfortunately it seems as if I'm the busiest when I want a nap the most. I have to do some school-related stuff today, I work tonight, my cousin from Austria is coming into town tomorrow until Friday, I start classes on Thursday, and then work again next Saturday/Sunday. I think by next week, I might be ready for a vacation. Ironically enough, I thought that's kindof what the last month was supposed to be.
Until another day where I'm a touch more exciting...
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Just another quarter-life somethingorother
My mid-twenties catch me in a world between full adulthood, and a feeling like I'm far passed my youth. Seeing teenagers around me makes me feel old, but after mentioning my wife to a homeowner who's house I was helping paint, she thought I didn't look old enough to be allowed to have a wife. My 4 grey hairs tell a different story, as does the hairline that is slowly retreating from my face.
I've also started to realize that I'm quickly becoming the guy who talks about the bands of the "good old days", when the Foo Fighters were simply a dream of Dave Grohl's, as he was still fairly new on the alternative rock scene as drummer for Nirvana. The new syth-fused emo-rock that can be found extensively around the music scene has replaced my angst-ridden bands like Live, Creed and Pearl Jam. Every time I hear an Everclear tune on the radio, I bob my head to the beat, and sing my heart out when Collective Soul finds it's way into my ears.
The ironic thing is that I harass all the people 10 years older than me who still embrace AC/DC and Poison as heroes of rock and metal, who think Axle Rose is better than any mere mortal.
I know I've talked about this previously, but it still travels through my thoughts. Am I going to be the guy who rants on about his youth to his kids or his kids' friends, thinking that the better days are gone and it's all downhill from here? When did kids in their mid-twenties become so disillusioned about the world that there's actually something referred to as a quarter-life crisis??? It can't be that bad.
-T
I've also started to realize that I'm quickly becoming the guy who talks about the bands of the "good old days", when the Foo Fighters were simply a dream of Dave Grohl's, as he was still fairly new on the alternative rock scene as drummer for Nirvana. The new syth-fused emo-rock that can be found extensively around the music scene has replaced my angst-ridden bands like Live, Creed and Pearl Jam. Every time I hear an Everclear tune on the radio, I bob my head to the beat, and sing my heart out when Collective Soul finds it's way into my ears.
The ironic thing is that I harass all the people 10 years older than me who still embrace AC/DC and Poison as heroes of rock and metal, who think Axle Rose is better than any mere mortal.
I know I've talked about this previously, but it still travels through my thoughts. Am I going to be the guy who rants on about his youth to his kids or his kids' friends, thinking that the better days are gone and it's all downhill from here? When did kids in their mid-twenties become so disillusioned about the world that there's actually something referred to as a quarter-life crisis??? It can't be that bad.
-T
Sunday, May 14, 2006
I'm sheltered
I'm a minority. Okay, maybe I'm not right now, or even 99% of the time. But on Friday, I was a bit of a minority.
I guess I should contextualize this a bit more. I come from a pretty homogeneous area of the world, culturally speaking: Southern Alberta. Living in Lethbridge my entire life, I was secluded in a number of senses. I guess you could say that Lethbridge isn't exactly a hotbed of cultural diversity. In other words, it's a more or less suburban, Christian, middle-class town with little else beyond the wide open prairies and a sea of Conservative voters for miles around. The Alberta separation party still exists. It's true.
So, on Thursday I was at a new jobsite meeting a franchisee I hadn't met before. "A", the new manager, greeted me and introduced me to his crew of 5 guys. All of them were from different cultural backgrounds, but all were good buddies who went to school together. A was born in Malaysia, two of the guys on his crew were of East Indian descent, one guy's parents were Iranian, another was born in China, and another was from the Phillipines (if I'm not mistaken, that is). The day before that, I was working with two guys on another crew, and one was from Indonesia and the other was from Iran. A girl I worked with yesterday was born and raised in Columbia. And I was a little astounded. I found it to be pretty interesting that in the period of about 2 weeks, I'd met more people from more diverse backgrounds than I had in 3 full years in Victoria, and pretty much the rest of my life in Lethbridge. And I loved it. It was one of the moments that I was somewhat proud of my education... I actually knew a touch about where each of the people were from (or where their parents were from).
And all the while, even though I know that there's no fundamental difference between any of us and we were all generally raised in the prairies, it was fascinating that Canada can carry on in a fashion that seems to be conducive to such an experiment. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his mid-19th century book Democracy in America, talked about the great democratic experiment of the United States. I think he would be completely fascinated as well if he were alive in 2006 to see where the great North American experiment had come to. This is not to say that there isn't a great deal of intolerance and problems among different cultural groups (or between white and non-white more generally), but it just made me realize that the world around me is a lot more diverse than I could ever imagine. The travel bug is awaiting another indulgence. Europe was the trip of a lifetime 4 years ago... but who says that we have to be satisfied with only one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences?
-T
I guess I should contextualize this a bit more. I come from a pretty homogeneous area of the world, culturally speaking: Southern Alberta. Living in Lethbridge my entire life, I was secluded in a number of senses. I guess you could say that Lethbridge isn't exactly a hotbed of cultural diversity. In other words, it's a more or less suburban, Christian, middle-class town with little else beyond the wide open prairies and a sea of Conservative voters for miles around. The Alberta separation party still exists. It's true.
So, on Thursday I was at a new jobsite meeting a franchisee I hadn't met before. "A", the new manager, greeted me and introduced me to his crew of 5 guys. All of them were from different cultural backgrounds, but all were good buddies who went to school together. A was born in Malaysia, two of the guys on his crew were of East Indian descent, one guy's parents were Iranian, another was born in China, and another was from the Phillipines (if I'm not mistaken, that is). The day before that, I was working with two guys on another crew, and one was from Indonesia and the other was from Iran. A girl I worked with yesterday was born and raised in Columbia. And I was a little astounded. I found it to be pretty interesting that in the period of about 2 weeks, I'd met more people from more diverse backgrounds than I had in 3 full years in Victoria, and pretty much the rest of my life in Lethbridge. And I loved it. It was one of the moments that I was somewhat proud of my education... I actually knew a touch about where each of the people were from (or where their parents were from).
And all the while, even though I know that there's no fundamental difference between any of us and we were all generally raised in the prairies, it was fascinating that Canada can carry on in a fashion that seems to be conducive to such an experiment. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his mid-19th century book Democracy in America, talked about the great democratic experiment of the United States. I think he would be completely fascinated as well if he were alive in 2006 to see where the great North American experiment had come to. This is not to say that there isn't a great deal of intolerance and problems among different cultural groups (or between white and non-white more generally), but it just made me realize that the world around me is a lot more diverse than I could ever imagine. The travel bug is awaiting another indulgence. Europe was the trip of a lifetime 4 years ago... but who says that we have to be satisfied with only one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences?
-T
Another kind of beautiful
Every once in a while, I'm struck by a touch of something I can only describe as somewhat surreal. I'll be in my car, on my way to a jobsite here in Calgary, and I'll get really distracted after looking west over the city from a hill or bridge, staring at the Rockies that rise up beyond the suburbs. For a city I've always said I'd hate to live in, maybe it isn't so bad. I used to get the same sensation in Lethbridge from time to time... I'd be driving on a street I'd driven a thousand times before, and suddenly, it was different. The view had changed into something else. And then it was the same again. Maybe it was my perspective, maybe just me... but still, things had changed, if only for a moment. I'm starting to experience that again. I ran into some old friends back home when I went to visit my parents, specifically a girl I had gone to school with from kindergarten, and after talking with her for about 10 minutes, she just seemed different. She hadn't really changed in appearence, but something had definitely been altered. Then before I left, she seemed the same. Something in the room had shifted for only a few seconds, but I always wonder what it may have been. Maybe it's not something to be referred to in the past-tense... maybe it's something like "what it may be".
The world's a funny place, and if you stop long enough to look around, it might just be a touch different than it was a moment ago.
-T
The world's a funny place, and if you stop long enough to look around, it might just be a touch different than it was a moment ago.
-T
Friday, May 05, 2006
The weather's changing
Things get better, after time. And work, I guess, is no exception. I got to actually put in a couple full days of work this week, which made the whole of last week's frustrations kinda fade to the wayside. Don't get me wrong... I'm still poor, but I've done about 25 hours in the past 3 days, and working more tomorrow as a way of pimping out my services to those in need. Go team Mrakka.
Things I don't like for Friday, May 5 (Cinqo de Mayo):
1) Stupid people in Honda Civics who turn north onto MacLeod Trail right in front of me as I'm going about 90 km/h, forcing me into the next lane over where a lovely but massive Mack Truck was ready to hammer on his breaks so as to narrowly avoid crushing the chunk of metal known as the 91 Escort I'm driving.
2) Painters who know nothing about painting but tell you how wonderful they are at said painting, who then proceed to made fools of themselves at said painting by doing absolutely rubbish work, and then have touble understanding why they're useless.
3) Paint stores that close at 6pm, when I need to stop and purchase hand cleaner and other suppplies at 7:15pm when I have finally left the job site... after scorching in the sun for 9 hours.
Things I do like for Friday, May 5th (did I mention it's Cinqo de Mayo??):
1) Sunny days
2) Dogs with bandanas and cheerful dispositions
3) Kids who think that painting houses is a cool job
4) My lovely wife... I miss that girl, even when she makes me crazy (it's good crazy... show's that she cares)
5) Surviving the drive to work on MacLeod Trail
6) Ham Steak
7) Cold Pilsner... Okay, maybe not LIKE, but it's hitting the spot
8) Did I mention my beautiful wife? She's pretty cute.
I guess this means that I'm having a good day. Boy it's lovely outside. It's also nice that I'm actually going to be able to see my parents... I'm heading to Bridge City to visit the old folks in their native habitat tomorrow after work. It should be enjoyable... ahh, Lethbridge once again.
That's all for now... until again, strangers and friends...
-T
Things I don't like for Friday, May 5 (Cinqo de Mayo):
1) Stupid people in Honda Civics who turn north onto MacLeod Trail right in front of me as I'm going about 90 km/h, forcing me into the next lane over where a lovely but massive Mack Truck was ready to hammer on his breaks so as to narrowly avoid crushing the chunk of metal known as the 91 Escort I'm driving.
2) Painters who know nothing about painting but tell you how wonderful they are at said painting, who then proceed to made fools of themselves at said painting by doing absolutely rubbish work, and then have touble understanding why they're useless.
3) Paint stores that close at 6pm, when I need to stop and purchase hand cleaner and other suppplies at 7:15pm when I have finally left the job site... after scorching in the sun for 9 hours.
Things I do like for Friday, May 5th (did I mention it's Cinqo de Mayo??):
1) Sunny days
2) Dogs with bandanas and cheerful dispositions
3) Kids who think that painting houses is a cool job
4) My lovely wife... I miss that girl, even when she makes me crazy (it's good crazy... show's that she cares)
5) Surviving the drive to work on MacLeod Trail
6) Ham Steak
7) Cold Pilsner... Okay, maybe not LIKE, but it's hitting the spot
8) Did I mention my beautiful wife? She's pretty cute.
I guess this means that I'm having a good day. Boy it's lovely outside. It's also nice that I'm actually going to be able to see my parents... I'm heading to Bridge City to visit the old folks in their native habitat tomorrow after work. It should be enjoyable... ahh, Lethbridge once again.
That's all for now... until again, strangers and friends...
-T
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Getting screwed...
Another warning... work rant... only for those who care about how pissed off I am...
Do you ever feel like someone is constantly jerking your chain and they have a smirk on their faces while doing it? I don't know about everyone else, but I'm kinda feeling this way since I came out to Calgary for this job.
I flew in last Thursday night, stayed with my in-laws in Airdrie, and went into Calgary on Friday for what I thought was going to be a full day of work. It turned out that, since the crew I was meeting was already well into their project, they only really needed me for 4 hours. That was fine, since it gave me more time to visit with my wife's parents, and make a trip into Calgary to meet up with my grandparents. Then, I was supposed to meet up with a crew over the weekend to hammer away at a project, and wouldn't ya know it... there was a confusion among managers and they had no work for me. Although this was frustrating (since I'm broke and came all the way out here to make some paper typically referred to as CASH!), it wasn't the end of the world because, well, first weekend in, no big deal. I'll make up the time.
The I got a call Sunday night. It was the guy that I was supposed to be meeting Monday morning. He thought that since the weather channel was forecasting a touch of snow for the airport (like 1-2 mm), that his guys shouldn't paint in the southwest of the city (30 min. drive and always 3-4 degrees warmer), so he cancelled the whole day. After trying to arrange work with other managers, I was unsuccessful. Monday turned out to be beautiful, which is why you should never cancel work due to weather until THE DAY OF! So I sit around all day, hoping that my phone will ring with work for me to do. Again, sorely disappointed.
Tuesday involved a meeting up in Red Deer, which killed my whole day and I'm pretty sure I didn't get paid for it. Now things are getting ridiculous. I got a voicemail last night at about 9 0'clock stating that, since the weather was kinda ugly last night, that the manager I was working for today just said that he wasn't starting until 1:00. I look outside right now, at 7:48am, and the sun is freakin' SHINING! Sure, it's not 20 above, but it's sure good enough to paint in. So I'm stuck at my uncle's place with a whole lot of SFA to do until 1:00. I emailed my bosses last night about it, and I haven't heard a thing. I'm supposed to be WORKING while I'm out here, and in 5 days, not including today, I've worked 4 hours. That's right, 4! For those math wizzes out there, that works out to about 0.8 hours/day. Sure, I'm making $14/hr, but that's not even great wages for someone in a type of blue collar management position. And, it works out to $11.20 per day that I've earned. Considering my goal was to hit 180 trainer/manager hours and about $2500 by the 23rd of May, it's not going according to my plan. Stupid bastards.
Oh well, you live and learn I guess. I'm not going to be Mr. Happy-Fun-Times on the phone, that's for sure. But I guess it's a lesson in the "too good to be true, this only looks realistic to suckers" category. Ciao for now...
Do you ever feel like someone is constantly jerking your chain and they have a smirk on their faces while doing it? I don't know about everyone else, but I'm kinda feeling this way since I came out to Calgary for this job.
I flew in last Thursday night, stayed with my in-laws in Airdrie, and went into Calgary on Friday for what I thought was going to be a full day of work. It turned out that, since the crew I was meeting was already well into their project, they only really needed me for 4 hours. That was fine, since it gave me more time to visit with my wife's parents, and make a trip into Calgary to meet up with my grandparents. Then, I was supposed to meet up with a crew over the weekend to hammer away at a project, and wouldn't ya know it... there was a confusion among managers and they had no work for me. Although this was frustrating (since I'm broke and came all the way out here to make some paper typically referred to as CASH!), it wasn't the end of the world because, well, first weekend in, no big deal. I'll make up the time.
The I got a call Sunday night. It was the guy that I was supposed to be meeting Monday morning. He thought that since the weather channel was forecasting a touch of snow for the airport (like 1-2 mm), that his guys shouldn't paint in the southwest of the city (30 min. drive and always 3-4 degrees warmer), so he cancelled the whole day. After trying to arrange work with other managers, I was unsuccessful. Monday turned out to be beautiful, which is why you should never cancel work due to weather until THE DAY OF! So I sit around all day, hoping that my phone will ring with work for me to do. Again, sorely disappointed.
Tuesday involved a meeting up in Red Deer, which killed my whole day and I'm pretty sure I didn't get paid for it. Now things are getting ridiculous. I got a voicemail last night at about 9 0'clock stating that, since the weather was kinda ugly last night, that the manager I was working for today just said that he wasn't starting until 1:00. I look outside right now, at 7:48am, and the sun is freakin' SHINING! Sure, it's not 20 above, but it's sure good enough to paint in. So I'm stuck at my uncle's place with a whole lot of SFA to do until 1:00. I emailed my bosses last night about it, and I haven't heard a thing. I'm supposed to be WORKING while I'm out here, and in 5 days, not including today, I've worked 4 hours. That's right, 4! For those math wizzes out there, that works out to about 0.8 hours/day. Sure, I'm making $14/hr, but that's not even great wages for someone in a type of blue collar management position. And, it works out to $11.20 per day that I've earned. Considering my goal was to hit 180 trainer/manager hours and about $2500 by the 23rd of May, it's not going according to my plan. Stupid bastards.
Oh well, you live and learn I guess. I'm not going to be Mr. Happy-Fun-Times on the phone, that's for sure. But I guess it's a lesson in the "too good to be true, this only looks realistic to suckers" category. Ciao for now...
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