Back Home and Back To Work!

After 5500 kilometers and temps as high as 40c we are back home in Calgary, and none the worse for wear. The legend of the Jeep Cherokee continues to grow; this time as a mighty puller of heavy U-Haul trailers and one who chuckles at stiff headwinds. As for me, I've had just about enough of these cross-continent labours of love.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good road trip, the operative word being good. Like, for instance, going somewhere fun. With nice scenery, perhaps. Or even pleasant weather. And definitely NOT involving excessive manual labour. Score on this trip: ZERO!

OK, there is maybe an element of satisfaction to factor into the equation. A job well done and all that. Turning a page, finishing a chapter, closing a book. (I think that's the requisite number of literary metaphors for this entry.) Maybe I need to see the bigger picture and look at what's beginning, in the afterglow (and the searing heat) of what's ending.

Tomorrow we will submit our passports to the Canadian government for their issuance of our Landed Immigrant status. All three of us will then be free to work and do most anything here in this great country, save voting or serving in the Canadian Forces. Those privileges are reserved for citizens, and we have a couple years to wait yet. Having Priscilla with us again is a big plus, too. I know we will enjoy having her close by again.

Oh, and one other small detail: I'm going back to work tomorrow. Yes, the nice folks down at Suncor Energy Centre have seen fit to let me resume my previous employment. Fancy that. It will be odd getting up and actually dressing for work again. I'm sure the routine will return quickly, but in some respects I feel like a kid on the first day of school. Hope my new Keds and Toughskin jeans wow the ladies as much as they did back in the day.

So I end today as I started nearly six months ago - embarking on a journey. At present, colour me both contented and determined to face whatever comes next with vigour and a none-too-small dollop of reality. Work is work; important, certainly but not everything. I've picked up a few loose bits of my life that I'd dropped somewhere along the way, and I have no intention of letting them slip away again...

Packing Things Up On The Scene

Thanks to the band Radio 4 for the title of this blog entry.

The last time I drove to this part of the world during the hottest part of the year, I said it was the last time. Well, here we are again. Oklahoma in August. 38C/101F. Ugh...

Sadly, this is not the actual trailer...

But I can at least draw some solace in the fact that this is definitely the last road trip to this part of the world. We've packed our remaining personal effects into a U-Haul trailer and will head north to cooler temperatures and our new life in Canada. Our old life in the States is behind us now, with an air of finality we've only started to comprehend.

For you see, while we were on the road this time, we received word that our permanent residency status in Canada has been approved. All we have to do is send in our passports for the requisite stamps and within a couple of weeks we'll all have new ID cards which will allow us to live and work in Canada without restriction. Priscilla is included in our application, and she'll be joining us later in September.

There are some things we'll miss from this neck of the woods, though. Real barbecue, Shiner Bock and Blue Bell Ice Cream come to mind. But I won't be sad to leave behind the bugs, the heat or the likelihood of death by tornado. Good riddance to those, I must say.

So at the end of it all, things are looking pretty effin' positive as we head back to work in the next week or two. But we still have one last, hot drive to remind us what we leave behind. Oy.

New Blog Launch - UP ALL NIGHT!

Hey there friends and fans. As I spend more time preparing for and reporting on my radio show on CJSW, I've decided to launch a new blog dedicated exclusively to Up All Night. If you're interested in following my adventures in radio, here's the link: http://upallnightcjsw.blogspot.com/

As part of the new blog, I'll be posting news, notes and playlists for my shows, as well as opportunities for music fans to weigh in our favourite artists and submit feedback on show ideas.

So check it out and let me know what you think!

DJ Mark is UP ALL NIGHT on CJSW!

Okay hipsters.  Time to get serious about your late-night radio.

This past Tuesday saw the official "launch" of my new show, Up All Night, on CJSW 90.9 FM here in Calgary. And while some might opine the time slot (2am-6am) is, shall we say, less-than-savoury, I beg to differ.

Sweet logo - special thanks to Haley Em!

For one, it takes a devoted listener (or someone in a friendlier - say European - timezone) to tune in during the wee small hours. No mollycoddling for my fans, no sir. Only the most hardy and hardcore devotees need apply.

Plus, I feel no constraints on my show content. I can play pretty much whatever I damn well please. Old school alternative? Check. New Canadian artists? Check. Jazz, reggae, lounge???  Check, check, and CHECKMATE!  Four hours of nothing but feet-scootin', butt-rockin', sleep-chasin' beats!!!

So, if you've got the chops, check out the show. And if the middle of the night is no good for you during the week (sissy!) I've a limited time only offer for you: This Friday (August 13) from 7am-10am, my pal Kat Lord (host of CJSW's The Jazz Baby) and I will be holding court on the morning airwaves. This is a limited-time offer, so you know we can't do this every day. Not unlike the Slap-Chop. So for the love of all that's good and wholesome, tune in and check us out!!!

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!!!