North To Alaska!

I was thinking recently that it's been far too long since I've embarked on an epic road trip. The idea of hitting the highway and seeing the world from behind a windscreen has an almost primal appeal. And since it doesn't get much more epic than Alaska, the idea moved from concept to reality quite rapidly.

For the record, it's been 8 years since I've spent the summer in the 49th State. My folks still live there of course, and Tonya and I both have sisters there, along with some very dear friends. I've never driven the Alaska Highway and Tonya's lone trip was in 1989. What's more, we're already "halfway there" from the perspective of our Lower 48 neighbors. So with all that in play, it was pretty obvious that a trip was in order. So, we're packing up the Jeep and heading out early tomorrow morning.

According to our trusty copy of the 2010 Milepost, it's 2160 miles from Calgary to Anchorage. We plan to take it in three driving days. Day 1 will take us through Alberta into northern British Columbia and an overnight stay in Fort Nelson. We'll head from there to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory on the second day and cross the Alaska border and down into the southcentral part of the state for some long overdue catching up time.

We plan to stay 8 or 9 days and then head back to Calgary, but by a slightly different route. We'll head down the Cassiar Highway into the heart of BC and see parts of the province neither us has experienced to date. And perhaps we'll get our hands on some terrific Okanagan wines in the process too!

Be sure to stay tuned for the occasional travel post. And all my legions of radio fans, don't despair. I'll plan on returning to the CJSW airwaves upon my return to Calgary in August. Of course I'll still be working in the wee small hours but hey, it's a great gig regardless.

So until then, wish us ¡Buen viaje! and safe travels eh!

"Are We On The Air, Sugar?"

Yes, Geraldine, it's true.

For those unfortunate enough to be awake in the wee small hours of Tuesday morning and near your radio or computer, you might have heard yours truly broadcasting on the Calgary airwaves. Yes, that's right. After a hiatus of more than 15 years I am once again a real live radio DJ.

How's that, you ask? Well, it went down something like this. I submitted a volunteer application to CJSW 90.9 FM (our local college radio station broadcasting from the U of C campus) here in Calgary a couple months back. I've been wanting to get back into the music scene for a while now, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. After two relatively painless orientation sessions, I set to work on the low end of the food chain - cataloging music in the library.

Ironically, most volunteers hate this part of the deal. They find it tedious and unappealing. Not me. Quite the contrary, actually, as I really dig seeing all the new music that comes in to the station as well as the 100K+ title library we are privileged to maintain. Though it's mostly CDs these days, there are still lots of great albums which are only available on vinyl. What's more, many are out of print, which even makes them all the cooler.

I'd probably logged 20 hours or so in the last few weeks and was content to keep plugging away and trying to help out in any way I could, when last week the Program Director (Mark Shields) pulled me aside and asked if I might fill in for some open shifts that needed temporary hosts. He knew I'd done radio before and deftly put me alongside an expert DJ (thanks Hayley Em!) for a quick refresher in the broadcast booth last Monday afternoon.

Although quite a bit has changed in radio since the early 90s, the basics are still the same. Good on-air presence, a sense of timing and, of course, enough musical sensibility to actually program a show that flows from start to finish. Another hands-on session with Mark the PD on the 30th allowed me to "solo" for over an hour. Afterward, he apparently felt I was capable of handling things on my own, so he plugged me into an open overnight slot which needed a host. Which brings me to this morning.

I arrived at the station 'round midnight (cue Thelonius Monk) and started selecting music from the library. Overnight shows like this one (2am-6am) don't get heavily programmed with ads or public service announcements (PSAs) or other required content, so there's a lot of freedom to play a range of music. We are required to select 4 songs per hour off the current playlist, as well as insuring at least 4 Canadian-content offerings are played. But still, with 12-15 songs per hour (I do try to avoid the live version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida) means a lot of preparation is needed to adequately cover a 4-hour shift.

When the clock displayed 2:00 I was on the air! The time passed quickly as I served up a blend of old-school college radio staples along with our new material, plus a generous sampling of blues, jazz, reggae and some choice international beats. I think the final product, though still a bit rough by my standards, went over quite well. No one called to complain which means a) I did OK or b) no one was listening. What the heck - I had a blast despite being up way past my bedtime.

Even better, I'm on again in the daylight hours this week (Wednesday July 7 from 4-6pm MDT) so perhaps my legions (ha!) of fans will be able to "stay up" this time around. If you're not in Calgary, no worries. We stream live 24/7 on our web site.

Thanks in advance for your support and hope you can listen in!

Last Dash to the Finish!

Well, we're getting really close folks. Tonya and I completed our medicals in support of our Canadian immigration application this past week. By all accounts, we passed. Barring a late flunking of the blood test for syphilis, that is.

Priscilla is flying up from Big D later this week to complete her examination. Once that's done, the results go to Ottawa for final OK, then off to Los Angeles to get married up the the rest of our application.

The best part is that for our immigration classification, completed medicals precede final approval by as little as a month. Which means if we're lucky, we could have our landed immigrant status before the end of the summer.

Fingers crossed, if you please. Next stop, the tattoo shop for my Maple Leaf insignia!

It's Official: I'm Back in Radio!

All right, so it's not like I'm next in line for the Howard Stern Show or anything. But this week I completed my volunteer training at CJSW, our local college radio station here in Calgary.

It's an important milestone because before new volunteers get to touch any of the cool equipment and such, they have to attend the orientation sessions - four hours in total spread over two consecutive Monday evenings. The sessions deal with the station's history and mission, as well as the various departments and funding process. There's also a comprehensive tour, including the broadcast booth.

There are several things for volunteers to do at the station. For instance, summer festivals are a big part of station promotion, so there are booths to man and event planning to help out with. There's also news gathering and production, web site and social media support, and music library. That's where I'm helping out.

As you can imagine, a radio station has to process lots and lots of music coming in from record labels, independent artists and other sources. I'm helping to catalog and categorize all this music (CDs and vinyl primarily, but also archive materials like reel-to-reel, carts and DATs) and put it away in the library for all the show producers and staff to easily access.

I'd like to get the opportunity to do my own show at some point, but for now patience is the key. Plus, being the organizational guru (OK, neat freak) that I am, I'm providing a valued service to the station whilst learning the ropes at the same time. How cool is that?

If you'd like to join me as a CJSW volunteer, it's very easy to do and a most worthwhile use of your time. Both U of C students and community members are welcome, so what are you waiting for?

Catching the Wave

Last night Tonya and I experienced another dose of Calgary culture first-hand, reaffirming my great affection for this city's arts community. We attended the first annual Calgary Latin Wave, a petite film festival featuring the year's best movies from Latin America. The festival is a joint venture between Fundación PROA and the Calgary International Film Festival.

We were privileged to see The Secret In Their Eyes (El Secreto De Sus Ojos), which won this year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It's an amazing work from Argentine director Juan José Campanella and was shown in Spanish with English subtitles.

The movie is simply amazing. Campanella's creation features a compelling story, fascinating characters and a great score. There are scenes of unspeakable violence, sardonic humour and a touching, understated love story that interweave effortlessly throughout the film. Rarely have I been so incredibly pleased at watching a movie. Our fellow patrons applauded vigourously at the conclusion, which is something you don't often experience at a cinema these days.

And the fact that the festival was so well done, and right here in our back yard, made it all the more enjoyable. As this was the first year of the festival, next year is not yet a certainty. But the showing we attended was very patronized by our fellow Calgarians, so here's hoping they return again next year!

One Step Closer...

This week, I set up appointments for medical exams for Tonya, Priscilla and me in support of our Canadian immigration application. This is a big deal, as it is the final step in the process before receiving our Landed Immigrant status - or "Green Cards" to use the US parlance.

There are a number of ways to apply for permanent residency status here in Canada. The traditional way is to apply directly to the federal government using a point-system which looks at education, profession, language skills, etc. to establish a basis for admission to the country. It's a self-directed plan than can take several years and is mainly designed for people who are still living in their home country.

In additional, there's an employer-based program which allows companies to nominate foreign workers here legally on short-term work visas to become permanent residents. It's much faster (12-18 months) and I applied initially under this program while working for ATCO. The downside is it's tied to a specific job with a specific company, so if you change roles or employers you have to start over. Which is exactly what happened to me when I joined Suncor last spring.

Fortunately, Canada launched a new, self-directed program recently called the Canadian Experience Class or CEC. It allows people who have worked legally (i.e. hold a work visa) in Canada for two or more years to apply directly for permanent status. Since I easily qualified for the work piece, I started the process last fall.

The application forms are painstakingly detailed. We all had to catalogue our complete US residency history (including addresses and dates) as well as work history since the age of 18. Imagine how many times a 40-something couple have moved and changed jobs in 20+ years! We also had to obtain FBI criminal clearance as well as clearances from all state law enforcement agencies in every jurisdiction we've resided in since age 18. Whew!

Once all the documents are prepared and submitted (and healthy fees are paid) the government finally starts their piece. It's taken six months, but the fact that we've been requested to do our medicals means we are close to the finish line. Medical exams are the final step and are required to insure we don't carry diseases which endanger public health or create a drain on the health care system. Which is ironic, since we've been living here and participating in the health care system since 2006 - go figure!

If all goes well, we should have our permanent status confirmed in the fall. Once we are declared "landed immigrants" we can petition for citizenship in two years, provided we are not deported for hooliganism in the interim! So, step by step, we are approaching our goal: dual citizenship and two passports. Which can only mean one possible celebration: Cuban vacation - here we come!!!

Back "Home" in Calgary

Thomas Wolfe's protagonist George Webber in You Can't Go Home Again said so eloquently "You can't go back home to your family, back home to your childhood ... back home to a young man's dreams of glory and of fame ... back home to places in the country, back home to the old forms and systems of things which once seemed everlasting but which are changing all the time — back home to the escapes of Time and Memory."

That may be true, but it sure felt like a homecoming of sorts for yours truly upon landing in Calgary last evening. Sure, the weather was a pale reflection of the tropical magic of Mexico. By all accounts, it has been rubbish around here all spring long, or what has loosely passed for spring. Based on all the rants from my friends and colleagues, this has been the spring of our discontent (with apologies to John Steinbeck).

But home to me isn't about temperature or humidity or precipitation. Home is a state of mind where one finds comfort, purpose and a sense of belonging. I have definitely found my place here at the intersection of the Great Plains and the Rockies, under a big sky. So, for now, Calgary is home. 

There's also something more deeply profound that I discovered about myself during these past few months. I like - no I love - being a foreigner, a stranger in a strange land if you will. Let me attempt to explain.

Sometimes I feel an extreme sense of liberation and freedom in NOT belonging to a place. For me, there is great comfort in anonymity and the ability to move without tether or shackle. Maybe it's an ability born out of necessity due to all the moving I've done since my teenage years. Or maybe, conversely, I've done a lot of moving in a vain attempt to scratch an unseen itch.

I don't fancy myself a loner - I certainly enjoy the fruits of society - music, art, culture of all variety. These are clearly things made by my fellow creatures. But I always feel a bit like I'm on the outside looking in. It's hard to describe, but being a visible foreigner (not quite Ausländer, as I never felt unwelcome) in Mexico for over a month gave a real sense of being on the field, but not really in the game. It was an interesting sensation of being able to move freely and observe people without really being a tangible part of daily life as most people probably know it.

Living in Canada is somewhat similar in certain respects, save the obvious one: it's a lot easier for me to pass for Canadian. And, I suppose in a country with a large immigrant population, I have as much right to "feel" Canadian as someone from China, Kenya or Pakistan who now lives here. So the next step in the immigration process will prove interesting: will I feel any more or less like this is indeed my place, my home once I get my green card or ultimately my citizenship?

Time will tell, as it does in all things. But this little piece of the puzzle now has a place to fit in, and I am left feeling thankful for the time to come to this clarity of mind. My "sabbatical" has a couple more months to go, so who knows what gems await discovery by careful eye and patient hands...?

Last Week in Mexico

We put Priscilla on the plane home to Dallas yesterday. I always enjoy our visits, though of late they never seem to last long enough. Leaving the airport, the realization set in that we would be returning home to Calgary soon ourselves.


It's been a truly amazing month here in Puerto Vallarta. The point of this extended visit was not to discover if we liked it here - we proved that theory many visits ago. Rather, it was to see if we could potentially live here long-term, once our work permitted it. It's safe to say we answered that with a resounding YES! as well.


Which is not to say we won't visit other places in the meantime. We've spoken recently of a trip to the Baja in the spring. Probably not a big tourist destination like Cabo San Lucas, but instead someplace a bit more "authentic" like Loreto or La Paz. The real discovery this time for us is that we truly like observing the local people and not so much the vacationing masses.


Fortunately, Puerto Vallarta is a diverse enough destination to offer many slices of life. We've enjoyed wandering its streets and neighbourhoods, haunting its coffee shops and taquerias and simply admiring life in the tropics.


So, as we prepare to head back to Canada it will be with a mixed sense of excitement for home and regret of leaving such a wonderful place. And of course, counting the days to our next visit...

Sailing Banderas Bay

Sunday the 23rd was an amazing day on the water with Captain Peter Vines of Vallarta Fishing. The four of us (Tonya, Priscilla, our friend Wendy and myself) met Pete and Tony, his helper, at the Los Peines Marina before boarding his lovely 50-foot sloop, the Dos Niños.

Pete and Tony took great care of their guests all day long. We had continental breakfast featuring some nice pastries and fruits, a mid-day snack and then a tasty lunch. Of course there were lots of cold cervezas to be enjoyed as well.

We fished on the cruise out to our snorkel site, catching a number of bonita - lovely fish that put up a terrific fight - as we all got a chance to reel one in. Once we arrived at Los Arcos, a local group of islands known for great snorkeling, we got to get wet in the cool waters of the Pacific. There were tons of tropical fish to swim with and we all enjoyed bobbing around for a bit.

Afterwards, Pete and Tony hoisted the sails and we cruised back to the north toward the Marina. There was nothing but the sound of the water and the wind in the sails. Yours truly even got to take the wheel for a while.

All in all, we were on the water for over 6 hours and enjoyed a glorious time. Thanks to Pete and Tony for a great day and we definitely will plan to sail with them again!

Status Report, Mr. Sulu!

So it's been two and a half months now that I've been off work, which begs the obvious question: Do I miss it?

The obvious answer is, no I don't. But that doesn't really tell the whole story. I do miss the people, those meaningful daily interactions which, for me anyway, make existence as a cog in the giant corporate machinery tolerable. It's the hallway chats, catching up over coffee, or helping someone solve a problem which makes their work easier or more worthwhile. Those are the things I miss.

As for the endless meetings, contrived deadlines, arbitrary targets and general headless chicken impersonations, those I can live without. Sitting here enjoying a tropical breeze and a cold beverage on the patio makes that so incredibly clear. I can definitely do this every day and never get tired of it.

Sure, I'd need to refresh my iPod at regular intervals and restock my book collection (just finished Ayn Rand's masterpiece Atlas Shrugged and now working on John Steinbeck's East of Eden) but other than that I'm pretty good here.

But alas the old bank account will dictate sooner or later that I'll be heading back to work. For a few more years anyway. For if I've learned one thing during these past few months, it's that there's more to life than work. And I hope to explore it as soon as possible.

Who's with me??? Warp speed and fire photon torpedoes!!!