Cut off

My hair that is!

I recently procured a hair cut at Creative Hair Design which is a funky little salon located above Mac's Fireweeds Books. The stylists are fairly young and all have amazing hairstyles that nobody but a hair stylist could pull off.

They were very accomodating to my schedule and I was able to book an appointment only 3 days prior for an after-work set up. I was the last one in to have a hair cut and the last one to leave and I didn't feel like they were trying to rush the cut.

My stylist listened to what my wishes were and I am pretty pleased with the results. It is very different from what I usually go (so short! woah) and I am impressed. The cut didn't take forever either, something I can't stand...I want you to do a good job but jesus does it have to last more than 1 hour? Mine was an hour, tops, including styling and flat-ironing at the end.

Cost? Not too bad actually. $37.50, which is not bad for a good haircut.

I am mentioning Creative because I have had two people mention to me that they went to Hair Sensations above the Shoppers Plaza on Main St. and they were disappointed. The stylists did 'different' things with their hair and they weren't at all pleased with the results...mess with my hair once, shame on you. Mess with my hair twice-time for a new stylist!

Farenheit also comes with great recommendations but is more $$.

Places to visit

Or, not visit.

I am planning a trip to Anchorage, AK. (Well when I say 'I' am planning, I really mean someone else is planning and I am going to come along...)

Apparently it is quite the booming metropolis, which surprised the heck out of me. I always pictured Whitehorse as being the last place on a map. Past that, and all that exists are sea monsters and a great whiteness 'the nothing' or a place the langoliers ate. Basically, I always felt like Whitehorse was the last frontier and the world pretty much ends here. I can't help it, haha, I always feel rather isolated. Does anyone else think of the movie Insomnia when they think about Alaska?

Anyways, Anchorage has a population of about 300,000 people, tons of hostels and fast food restaurants, and the best part? A roving moose population that wander people's suburban landscapes like tame bulls escaped from a farm. Scary but kind of neat too. Also, the primary grazing for a typical Anchoragian person is a diner. Rough Guides tells us that, and they also mention that the coffee at a 'diner' is terrible. Hmm.

The downside is that it is about a 12-14 hr drive from Whitehorse, and there are not really any flights that service Whitehorse>surrounding areas. Bummer!
So, this Easter I am not going to Vancouver or some exotic locale like that, but I am making an effort to get the hell out. Fingers crossed it goes as plans!!

Yukon Made = Premium $$

The spring Spruce Bog Craft Sale occurred this past Saturday at the High Country Inn. A friend attended and was a tad disappointed at the selection of booths. Only about 20-30 booths were there and the crafts were sky-high priced. Is it just me or did you think craft meant not premium goods, but a certain homespun quality, nice but not super expensive? Yeah, that's what she thought. An Ontarian, she is used to a wide variety of quality craft sales, and not used to suffering sticker shock at the whimsical stained glass, or bottles of jam, or handmade salt scrubs.

Don't get me wrong, crafters need to make some bucks too. But $13-14 for fireweed syrup? $10 for salt scrub? $7.50 for a medium-sized jar of cranberry jelly? Might as well stop by the ATM before you go, because a couple of bucks just aren't going to cut it.

I did attend the Christmas Spruce Bog at the Canada Games Centre and had a great time. There were tons of booths (easily 50+) and lots of variety. I bought some very reasonably-priced soaps ($4 each, beer and spearmint) and was very tempted but the baked goods prices scared me away...c'mon $9.00 for dulce de leche syrup? an $8.00 apple crumble? yeesh.

I bake myself, while maybe not that well, but I know what the ingredients cost. Let's be a little more realistic.

Now if it was buffalo beef jerky...well...

I think I could dig a ltitle deeper for some change. You can't make that stuff at home!

In conclusion: Yukon Made=expensive.

Buffalo jerky=worth it.

Seasonal candy is still too expensive

Easter, Easter Easter...

Surpasses even Christmas for good chocolate and candy.

I wish we had good candy store. Not Shoppers Drug Mart, or Superstore or Walmart (although I hate to say it, thank god we have those!)...but quality, you know? (I did find green Peeps. oooh)

I'm afraid if we took those big-box encroachers out of the picture, our food and necessities would skyrocket into the realm of $8 orange juice and $9 freezer burned steaks! (oh wait, that has happened. Sorry Dawson, haha!)

As it is, Easter chocolate at Superstore and Shoppers' is absurdly priced. For a basket of 4 Kinder Surprise Eggs, $4.99. A plastic egg of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, $8.99. A bag of mixed mini's ; Cadbury's creme eggs and caramel eggs--a shocking $8.99--yeah I couldn't believe it either. And you just know they won't go on sale afterward either...or wait, they might go down a *gasp* $.50 !!! OH, the deals!

A plastic jar of knock-off Eggies costs $12.00 at Shoppers. Highway robbery! It's not even glass.

Pathetic.

WWTEBD?

What Would The Easter Bunny Do?? Think of the Bunnies!!! (or me.)

Those cavities won't make themselves, you know!

I'll Huff and I'll Puff...

And I'll blow your neighbour's freaking gate down!

Anyone who says Whitehorse is more tolerable than Ottawa, ON solely because it is 'less humid' and 'less windy' needs a serious reality check. It was so windy last night I woke up at 2am, drawn out of a restless sleep due to the howling of the wind and the amazingly loud banging of my neighbour's unlatched gate slamming against his fence.

No windchill in the winter? How about a pretty cruel windchill in the spring! By the way, anyone who tells you it is not windy here needs their head examined--it is as windy, almost on par with the ocean city Victoria, who at least has the ocean breeze as an excuse to tear your clothes off and whip your hair into your lipgloss.

Also, who hasn't had the joy of dealing with fresh, spring-fevered horses who are absolutely loving the change in temp. and the sprightly breeze? It turns them into raving psychos, who will trample and frolic at will, humans be damned! Be extra careful...any plastic bag blowing turns into a 'glob of doom, who only eat horses.' Like the wind is an excuse to be an absolute bastard to your human. Ah well...

Coming in from the wind today, with my hair blown across my freshly lipsticked mouth...looks like small whipmarks are trailing across my cheeks.
-Or-
this blog could have been about gasbags at work who don't shut up, or blowhard bosses. Oh, the possibilities!

Things to look forward to

It is now light out at about 7:30am, enough to offset that permanently hungover feeling I have had since we switched the clocks forward.

It is now warmer out- about +1 deg. yesterday, and around -4, and interestingly, still warm enough to melt some of the tremendous mountains of snow looming everywhere.

The annoying median of snow dividing me from my driveway on the street has been cleared away, courtesy of behemoths busily trucking it off to some yet-unknown snow dump, far away from the civilization it harasses.

It may be time to break out the awesome rubber boots. I love the new trend of cute prints, and I was sad when my daisy and heart rubber boots sprung a leak. Bring on the new!

Bring on variety-slowly but surely, jobs have started posting new positions and even more slowly but surely, we are starting to hear calls back. This is all good!

The Weakerthans posters are now up around town, even though the show isn't until May. We can hope, can't we?

And now, in the land of the Rising Sun...

Since I am doing two-by-two comparisons, the only other restaurants that exist in a twinset are sushi!

Tokyo Sushi is on Main Street and I suspect gets a ton of business that way. Gaudy gold ornaments, Chinese-looking displays and a smallish dining room. Sushi is not cheap but not hugely expensive either. Word is, it's not the better of the two restaurants...

Sakura Sushi, located a bit out of the way, has it's autonomous dining area. It looks rather glam, with black lacquered furniture and a darkened dining area. They charge you for green tea (a sin in my books but people seem ok with getting gouged here) but the meals are fairly affordable if you get one of the combos. The combos are a great amount of food, and cost around 12.85-$15.97 for lunch. Dinner is a bit more, around $14.00+ but still good amounts of food. One time the sushi I had was room-temperature, which distressed me greatly. The other time it was chilled, which was a pleaser for sure. So, I am in favour of Sakura at the moment.

Great tempura too!

Dining out, South of the Border...

Surprisingly, Whitehorse has two-yes, two, Mexican restaurants. Now, we could split hairs and say one of them is more Tex-Mex, but honestly, it is not Taco Bell (hell).

We have Sam 'n' Andy's, which is expenive ($21 pitchers of Margaritas or Sangria) but it is filling and fairly authentic. Also offers steaks and American-style food, hence the Tex-Mex. I enjoyed eating there, but word is the management of the place leaves a lot to be desired...eat there, don't work there. Meals like fajitas are around $20, and less exotic fare (tacos, wraps) are around $15-17. Not cheap, but nothing here is!

Then we have the really authentic place, Sanchez Cantina. It is tiny and fairly crowded, and a tough place to get into on a hot day...when those happen. Food is great, but again, very pricey. Service is languid, and reminds you of what Mexico itself might possibly be like...a no-worries atmosphere. I enjoyed it very much, and our dinner ended at 10pm! One bummer, if they run out of it, it's just not there. So a few meal options that I wanted weren't available. Fajitas around $23, and other items around $16-$17. Price-wise they are very comparable. Sanchez has a bit more, je ne sais quoi...Mexican family run!

I also have a feeling food like this in Mexico costs very few pesos. Oh, the things we do for variety! (and chillies)

Looking back in time

Whitehorse has two museums. Well, at least they have that going for them!

The MacBride Museum of Yukon History follows a bit of the gold-panning/gold rush and First Nations history. A mish-mash of culture and animals, it is in a folksy quaint log building. It is not that big but manages to contain a wide variety of artifacts and stuffed creatures. It smells like a fur trapper's cabin.
It has a pretty neat outdoor exhibit, with ploughs, old wagons, a model schoolhouse, a RCMP's outpost and a simulated gold-panning trough.

Entry for an adult is $8, and every 3rd Thursday of the month they offer 'Yukoner' day (to make up for the horribleness of being a Yukoner??) where entry is free if you can provide proof of residency. The most recent Yukoner day was yesterday...oops, missed out!

The next museum, or 'interpretive centre' is the Beringia Interpretive Centre. Wooly mammoths, giant short-faced bears and scimitar cats abound at this one. I couldn't find a sniff of mention how much entry costs, but right now until May is their off-season. You can rent the Beringia Centre for events too, school tours, etc. They have a large theatre/lecture room with 200 seats. A family season pass costs $25, but no mention if this is per family member or per family. Not as interesting as the MacBride but perhaps becuase it is not as wholly comprehensive. Also, their 'about us' section of their website has many spelling errors.

Enjoy! They both can't hold a candle to any museum in the South, but they try...

A depart from the ordinary

As a refreshing break, this blog is about people.

Let's look at offices, why don't we? These sketches of people are personalities I have seen/witnessed over the years, compiled all into one fun blog. Let's begin with...

The bipolar boss: A nice person, and a nasty person. Two for the price of one! Specializes in belittling you in front of customers/the public. They will interrupt you while you are on the phone with a customer to do their work. Will make your job a living hell until you leave, and then be sad when you leave, because hey, you got along so well!

The helicopter manager: Always hovering over you in a state of annoyance. Hangs like a buzzard over a fresh carcass, either waiting for you to screw up, or simply waiting. Will mess with files on your desk, pick up mail to narrate back at you, and simply hang over you for hours at a time. On par with bipolar boss.

The invisible co-worker: Always around for the fun stuff, never around for the everyday stuff. Frequent appointments, family tragedies and illnesses seem to plague this unlucky worker. You usually end up pulling their slack.

The hard-ass: Knows what they want, and expects very highly of you. Surprisingly, this boss is easy to get along with because they are always very consistent. Not a chatty cathy. The hard-ass boss can have a bad/scary reputation, but is a fair person. Be straight with them and they will be straight with you. They will accept mistakes, the bipolar boss won't.

The 'you should get on it' HR person: Makes you wonder why/how they ended up in HR. Have no clue about dynamics, and frequently manipulate workers into either tattling on each other or hating each other. Hands you ridiculous assignments and asks you to 'make it a priority.' Accuses you of wasting company time.

Friend worker: A loved work partner and confidante. Will not betray you or make you look stupid. Also will not waste your time. When you experience this, rejoice and relish your good fortune--they are so rare and precious!

Parrot worker: Above you or a co-worker, loves to parrot back at you either company slogans or work projects that you are well aware of. Seems to do so while the boss is around or within earshot frequently. Makes you want to screech, 'Why thank you. Yes I do know the procedure. And how to read." Hellish. May also go through your computer while you are away. Make sure to log-out of every personal/news site.

Monkey-in-the-middle: When you are held responsible for a co-workers absence and/or excuse making. Do not get sucked in. Lose-lose.

There's no 'you' in team: We're all a happy family, except for you. Excluded from everything, including important meetings. The writing is on the wall, can you read it from your desk miles away from everyone?

Thirst for Knowledge

Whitehorse has one College and a handful of public schools (elementary and secondary)

Many people who attend the college do so to attain certification for a job. It is a trades-oriented college, with woodworking, cooking courses, as well as teacher certification and a whole heap of bachelor's/diploma courses that can start at Yukon College and then transfer on towards a registered University.

There is the obligatory Montissori kindergarten, and the obvious Catholic high school...

Many students from the outlying communities come in to either finish high school at the Gadzoozda student residence and attend a local high school, or go to the College to attain a diploma or certification.

Good jobs to be had though, if you can weasle your way in...and a very nice campus with brand-new residences!

If you do ONE touristy thing...

I would recommend the Takhini Hotsprings. A mildly tourist-trap set-up, it is fairly nice without being ridiculously expensive. Family-run enterprise also, if anyone has qualms (I have five) about patronising huge corporations for family fun.

The hotsprings themselves are cemented, kind of like a swimming pool. A cool side and a hot side. Very nice and tons of hoar frost coating the surroundings, so still kind of natural except for the fence surrounding them. Ha. Watch out for insanely busy times like mid-late afternoons on the weekend, Japanese and/or French tourists who act like you must work there and therefore can answer all your questions. The answer is NO, I don't work here and this is my FIRST time here. Go away.

It costs $9.75 except Monday nights, which I believe are reduced to $5.00. You must bring flip-flops/crocs or pay $1.00 to rent them...something about foot fungus??

The hotsprings is a pretty big place in the summer, with a 1,000 ft zipline, and a climbing wall and the odd trail ride here and there (word has it that the woman who runs/ran the trail rides in the summer also runs some incredibly shady horse business out by Emerald Lake, where the horses are more than half-wild and people come back with broken bones...) but I digress.

There is also a huge ice-wall to clip those crampons on and start climbing! Word also has it that last year the ice-wall was downtown, but they had to use city water to create it...and then the city, when the wall was melting down at the end of the season, gave the operators of the ice-wall a huuuge water bill. oops! not going there again! (all hear-say, you understand...)

Get out and enjoy. Very pretty at night, open until about 10pm!

Movie rentals

If you want to entertain yourself during the long, dreary nights alternating between the gym and TV, there are always movie rentals.

For Whitehorse, there are 3 options: The library (good because it is free), Rogers, and Movie Gallery.

Rogers is bland and regular. None of them are cheap, think about $5 per rental for a new release on average. The library has a usually bizarre mix of documentaries, 'how-to' DVD's, ancient black & whites and some surprisingly good new releases. It's all about timing, and hey, it's free.

Movie Gallery is much like Rogers. If you go to one, you've gone to all.

What I really miss is the mindblowing old stuff, the really cool ancient gore-horror's, or the timeless classics that you can't find anywhere. You can get tons of new release, Kate Hudson's latest bellyflop or Paris Hilton's, 'direct to DVD movie' but you can't get movie history.

It's a real shame, and I miss the diversity of the South.

For example, it is Friday the 13th (again. is this a great year or what) and I noticed they are doing a remake of The Last House on the Left. The original came out in 1972 and was shocking. It was brutal, violent, gory and horrific. It was also incredibly creative in terms of pushing the envelope with audiences.

I want to do a comparison of sorts, watch the original and then go see the remake. It's a darn shame I won't be able to, because there is no way I could even find a movie like that up here, let alone one from 1972. Unless the library carries it, which I seriously doubt.

My tribute to yet another Friday the 13th falls flat.

Damn the need for communication!

I am being taken advantage of. By Northwestel.

Northwestel is our necessary evil, the sneaking underbelly of communicating in Whitehorse. They provide us with phone, cable and internet services. Everything you desire, although they take their own pound of flesh from you.

Basic internet costs ...ooh, $59.99 for shitty service that frequently cuts out, particularly during our many power outages. For the priviledge of paying, we also get capped at 10 gig. If you go over, and if you dare download anything, you will, you will get, as I mentioned before so colourfully, "fucked in half." To make matters worse, they have an ass-stupid way of billing. They bill anticipatory, which means they bill you a month ahead of time. This makes it WAY harder to figure out when you're getting screwed in the dark. Oh, but they calculate going over your measly 10gig. limit a month later. Are we having fun yet?

So, we went over our pinchingly small limit of internet in December mysteriously, even though I was away on holidays, the roommates were away for a month, and only one person remained. HOW? may I ask? We haven't downloaded anything, not so much as a bought-song off iTunes.

Doesn't matter. We had to pay $137.00 that month extra. Oh, and in January we went over also, so, hands come out for another $95.00. Ever notice how, when you go over the internet, it's never a small amount? Oh no, while they're screwing you they've got their hands in your back pockets.

We've been seeing bills of $300-400. Every.Month.

Also, word to the wise: our dear neighbours must have been stealing our signal, as we *had* an unsecured wireless network to handle our laptops. Note the word, *had*. Take that, you fuckers!

By the way, we don't even have cable. That is just inviting them to walk into your house and stomp on your wallet. And when I call them to get all righteous and raging, they are just too nice to get mad at. Can't win!

Going back to our Pagan roots

Right about now, with the last icy fingers of winter wrapped around our throats, people don't feel like burning effigies, they feel like burning everything down to the ground.

Enter a great new way to de-stress: Burning shit!!

The burning away the winter blues festival was planned at exactly the right time- March 21, 2009. Well, I think it could happen every week and we'd still feel totally psycho.

You can bring bits of rage scrawled onto paper, cigarette containers, paper-mache bosses...and watch them light up with red fury. Paper products only, please, think of the environment. I am very much looking forwards to it. I love the symbolic (yet harmless!) idea of burning your enemies as an effigy...

It reminds me of an effigy-burning I witnessed at a huge festival in Spain, but that was a happy time, when everyone raced into the ink-black sea to welcome the good times. This one is very different.

Ideally it is a happy festival, but I have a feeling it is mostly so people don't go around destroying property or burning houses or places of work down. A happy compromise, we'll call it. Let's watch our fears, anger, worries, concern and hatred flame into the sky and then dissipate into a gentle ash, coating us.

If only life was that easy!

http://www.burningawaythewinterblues.com/

Festival created by Whitehorse local Arlin MacFarlane.

Bow down to the Pagan gods of FIRE.

What are your hierarchy of needs?

A city can't be all things to all people.

I have developed what I call a rip-off of Maslows' Hierarchy of Needs, except we are past the hunting for food and moving on towards self-actualizations.

My hierarchy of needs directly relate to where I live. Is it fulfilling? Does it meet most or all of my needs? *Note* even paradise can have hidden issues, and might not meet your needs.

My hierarchy of needs are: House, Job, Horses, Friends...basically the top 3 categories.

Pretty simple, right? Well you wouldn't believe how hard it is to achieve a complete fulfillment of all your needs. That's when disillusionment starts building up and overwhelming your personality. Inner conflict develops when you feel like things just aren't right!

Cognitive dissonance can also exist when you start relying on some needs that are met, and some aren't. For example, you love your job but the 1+ hour commute is killing you. The job can't overcompensate for the commute. Or, you love the equestrian scene, you're there every day, but have no social friends. Loneliness can't ever be ignored.

I think the worst is when you are in a city and all your needs are met. Then, slowly, the carpet is pulled out from your feet and you start sliding backwards, wondering how you ended up on your ass. One by one your needs start falling apart. You have a falling out with friends, or your landlord kicks you out, or you lose your job, or you hate your job, or it's always too cold to ride, etc etc. It is SO EASY to fall.

That, my friends, is why people move cities.

That also may be why *I* will move.

Review of Guild Hall Comedy Night

Not too bad, actually.

Standout of the night? Tristan Hopper. That guy has the look, the timing and the 'funny' to bring out a huge belly laugh out of everyone. Mostly dirty (but hey,what good jokes aren't?) and sly mockery of pretty much everyone French *he is french himself* it was great. It helps if you are incredibly tall, wearing a velvet tuxedo and with red frizzy hair. Really helps.

The MC was pretty good, bit of a newcomer but could still pull out the funny stuff. One thing that I found a bit odd was his swearing felt a bit 'off'...like he never really ever swears and is trying his best to sound like he does it all the time. A bit studied, a bit unnatural. Not like the rest of us, who sound like sailors on a good day. Standout move? Mocking the mentally retarded. Hmm...a theme here, the French and the retarded, apparently also sound very similar. "Are you French?" "Ah non, I speak Le English..."

Disappointment of the night? Celia McBride. She is an accomplished local writer and playwright, and I was expecting a lot from her. She knows her stuff, is a keen observer of the human condition and was very lame. Uber-confident onstage, not like the whipery first-timer (almost wrote fist, now that is a freudian slip!)...she could have rocked it. But she didn't.

Her jokes just didn't go anywhere. A 'lipitor' drugs joke, about fat people who want a drug to help them lose weight but not make any lifestyle changes ended there. On a repetition of 'lifestyle' changes. WE GET IT. Now start making fun of fatties who can't get off their collective asses and up on a treadmill!!

Or the jokes about 'motorcycle-friendly' business establishments...also didnt' go anywhere. Yeah it is funny that Bearpaw quilts is 'motorcycle friendly' but tell us why that is funny. Is it because you think the bikers will raid the quilt store and rape and pillage the yarn? Or because, silly, bikes can't go inside the stores?

Well, I was glad it wasn't Moira Sauer up there. I cannot stand that woman. Her laugh could make paint peel off the walls and clog ears with wax trying to protect the delicate eardrum.

The show was $5. Get out there and laugh, cheap asses!

Take me out to the show

Luckily there are a few options for theatre here...

The Guild Hall has quite a few big shows and they are usually big hits too. Also offering comedy night this Saturday, something I understand is a pretty regular occurence. They are located a bit out of the way in Porter Creek, residential area. http://www.guildhall.ca/

Nakai Theatre offers the odd show, they were 'Pivotal' in the Pivot theatre a couple months ago. http://www.nakaitheatre.com/

Yukon Gallery has a tremendous theatre and offer a wide variety of shows. http://www.yukonartgallery.ca/

Go, check them out.

This porridge is too hot!

Or too cold, or just right.

That's what cities feel like to me. Vancouver was too hot (big), Whitehorse is too cool (small).

Sometimes you just can't win. Where's the one that tastes/feels just right? I enjoy the 10 minute commute but the job leaves a lot to be desired. What do we sacrifice for our careers? Vancouver had the torturous 1 hour commute but the job was a breeze, hard work but well appreciated.

Should we hold out for that right taste? Or should we accept whatever life's shit-shovel throws at us, accepting it like a meagre peasant happy to sop up grain falling from the mouth of the hoi polloi?

Cabin fever starts setting in around now; when the winter has been long and terrible, when nothing seems to be going your way and even better, you can't pop over to the next town for a break. The next town if 5 hours away and it is smaller than this one. It's enough to make you insane.

Or, hop on a plane.

When is it time to say, enough. Are you a quitter? Are you realistic?

Coping with my burgeoning disillusionment has become a full-time job.

Night Moves (time for a drink yet?)

Whitehorse has a decent selection of drinking holes. Only one, to my recollection, may be referred to as an actual 'hole'.

That would be the illustrious '98. Drunks yelling at each other at 2pm on Monday afternoon, bums laying on the doorstep, pretty much business as usual at the '98. Interestingly, they have actual advertisements in newspapers, suggesting they have quiet and cheap rooms. I seriously doubt it.

Next to the '98 is Flippers. We went for a drink there and it is tiny. Rectangular and long, it has a kind of East-Coast down-and-out sea shanty theme. They don't accept anything but cash, and when we had none, they recommended we use the bank machine 'next door'...which was inside the '98. NO thanks. We left. Apparently to our loss, as they have a real 'gritty vibe'. Eh.

Moving up and onwards...Town and Mountain have a very nice martini bar that I fear will go bankrupt within the year. Nobody here is that classy. Also, the servers were wearing ridiculous fake-fur boots. She looked like a hooker wearing paws of a polar bear.sigh

They also have a bar, Lizards that nobody goes to. We went and had a great time in the summer, and I went back in the fall for a drink with a friend, where we encountered a rather too-friendly First Nations guy, who proceeded to tell us the worst moment of his life was when he buried his brother. Ugh.

Coasters is the bar everyone goes to. Classy, trashy and everyone in between. I have had good times there and bad. Very typical bar, overpriced drinks and absolutely no good looking guys. None. They are a rare species up here to begin with, and if you see one, take a picture because no-one will believe you. Woo...

There is also Earl's. Hahah.

Think happy thoughts- escape via Air North?

As the last couple blogs have been fuming rants, I promised my adoring public this one would be a happy blog.

While March Madness is taking hold of everyone's collective brains and turning them into infuriating, irritating and paranoid mush, I will take a moment to remind you that you can escape.

Behold...

Air North departing Vancouver

Vancouver direct to Whitehorse from $339*

Includes round-trip airfare & 2 nights accommodation
For travel between January 16 – May 11 departing Friday/Saturday, returning on Sunday/Monday
All flights booked in Economy "Y" Class
3-day advance booking required

Sounds pretty sweet. I am seriously considering an April getaway...but April seems so far away.
But there is hope. You too can escape the mind-numbing craziness that is apparently taking hostage of everyone. And you should support Air North. That is a quality airline that makes Air Canada look like they aren't taking paying customers, they are holding everyone hostage in the air.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

You're pretty much screwed, except if you live in Southern Ontario, in that case, doubly!

The job market appears healthy here if you are interested in being a grocery clerk, bartender, room attendant or server. If you want a entry-level educated position, get down on those beggin' knees because that's all you'll be doing. A little story here, an anecdote to entertain the masses...

A friend left the South to move to Whitehorse and occupied a position at the local radio station, not a great position but it paid the bills and provided a little smidge of that prestige not many of us get to sniff at. One day came when he was notified that his position would be cut in hours. Not only did people 'hate' to hear this persons voice on the air, but apparently his presence in office wasn't much needed either. So from 40 and a show demoted to 30 and no on-air. Ouch. Nothing personal, you understand.

A week goes by with the new arrangement, then on the eve of the carousing known as Rendezvous, a great celebration to be had by all, he was notified that his position had become redundant, effective immediately. Empty the desk and here are your walking papers.

Double ouch.

Life goes on, jobs come and jobs go. My friend begins job hunting, and haunts the previous job board that landed the radio station position. There, to his dismay, is the former job. The one that was 'made redudant' and 'no longer existed at the company'. Suure. And I have a pretty sweet ass piece of Mars to sell you too!

Triple ouch.

A lesson from this? Job security no longer exists, and loyalty seems to be more of an 'honour among thieves' proposition. Don't move here expecting Whitehorse to be the land of milk and honey, job-speaking. You may just get royally screwed in a winter of unrest (recession).

Move for a job if your current prospects are grim, and you are looking for adventure. But be careful, oh I can't stress that enough. Nothing is guaranteed, and boy you might just luck out, or you might end up working at Shoppers' in Whitehorse, wondering how the hell you ended up here.

Thanks for the watch, I'll use it...

Is what I wish almost everyone in Whitehorse would say. Or do. Or both.

Citizens of this snowy city are notoriously unreliable. Sure they will happily house-sit, walk your dog and come to interviews, but on a casual basis? You're lucky if they will call once a month!

Case in point, not social but similar: Acquaintances of mine are renting a suite with some strings attached. Not ugly or mould-infested like so many slumlords here, but some quirks that you have to be comfortable with, ie- sharing. Not expensive, fairly new and nice.

Enter the range of clown-car failures that either call, desperate to find a place, make an appointment and never show up, or call, or are ever heard from again. Now, if this happened once, well that's life. Twice, and wow people are getting pretty ballsy...three times? Reaching ridiculous heights. No wonder landlords are so insane.

Not to mention the couple that arrive, obviously newcomers with accents, and expect the sun and the moon for what they pay. No, sorry, you can't have an extra room on top of a suite. Would you like to pay a mortgage, and zowie, get all the trimmings?!

Get a life, people. Get reliable. Stop fucking the collective 'us' over.