A relatively quiet last few days here at Chateau Welsh (if you saw the place, you'd get the joke) and I think burn out, exhaustion and maybe a touch of depression is sitting in. Nothing drastic, you understand. No need to call the counselors or anything.
As one of my co-workers pointed out, it's not that the winters in Iqaluit are cold. Of course they are, but plenty of other places further south of us have equally cold winters. We just have long winters. It's mid-April and it was -30 today. And just in case you think Environment Canada sucks and predicting the weather in Newfoundland from Halifax, try having weather on Baffin Island predicted by people in Edmonton.
We were suppose to have a blizzard today. They were very insistent that we were going to have a blizzard today. There was no blizzard today. It was, in fact, quite sunny.
No, I think the blahs are coming from several different places. First, yeah, we'd like for winter to start cuing up now, but there is another good month to six weeks left of it yet. But at least there is a few fun things coming up next week. It's Toonik Time in Iqaluit, which means all kinds of events. And it should be warm enough for me to take my camera out and it not start seizing up on me. When I took those photos of the big plane landing a few weeks back, the camera did not enjoy the -30 and let me know it. So hopefully you will all start to see a few more photos of the place during winter in the next couple of weeks.
Also, we just need a few extra days off. Cathy does get a bit more time off than me, but she's done now. It's at that point in the year where the kids are whacking away at the last few nerves, so a week off will do her the world of good. It'll give her enough energy to do the final two month sprint to the finish.
Except for the odd blizzard day, I haven't had a day off this year. So Easter is looking good. Especially since I found out that I not only get Good Friday, but also Easter Monday. A four day weekend. I nearly wept.
You have to understand, holidays are weird things for journalists (yeah, I really need to stop referring to myself as a journalist). I can't speak for all of them, but I rarely got statutory holidays. If it fell from Wednesday to Friday, I might take it. But most fall on Mondays. The deadline for copy for The Express was Tuesday. Taking Monday off was insane.
We'd get the holiday, but we'd normally bank them up. So once you got five stat holidays, you'd take a week off. Which is great, don't get me wrong. But sometimes you just want a long weekend. I so very rarely got them. Actually, Cathy will testify I rarely got a full weekend off. More than one Saturday saw me off interviewing someone not free during the week. And more than one Sunday evening saw me tucked away in the spare room behind my computer writing or transcribing notes.
Journalists can also be terrible for taking holidays. I had co-workers that had 10 weeks or more of holidays banked up.
So yeah, an extra long Easter weekend? Really looking forward to it.
And I think the last thing getting us down is that so many people are leaving to go on holidays. One of Cathy's kids is on her way to Hawaii. Other people around town are going to the Dominican, back to Newfoundland or wherever. We didn't book a trip because we figured San Francisco in August plus flying home for Christmas (someone should organize a blogger night at the Duke in December. I'd actually like to meet some of the people whose blogs I'm reading) would be a hard enough hit on the bank account.
But Cathy is regretting it a bit now. Serious cabin fever setting in. She'll be fine, but a few days in Ottawa would have done her the world of good. She needs a break. So do I.
Of course I'm being a bit careful for what I wish for. I'm a casual right now. My contract is up in about six weeks. They're advertising my job again and I can get it as a permanent position this time (the job description has been altered slightly). Then again, someone else could end up getting it. It's the way things work up here. I knew it going in so there is no sense complaining about it.
So, you know, slightly twitchy times abound. But I'm sure everything will work out for the best. They normally tend to.
Knock on wood...
Currently Playing
Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins (which is really good, by the way)
6 comments:
I know what you are saying Craig, we get tired of the constant sun, and warm temperatures, you just pray that the endless summer like conditions would end...wait no no I don't :))
A blogger night just seems like a natural idea to me. Granted, odds are it'll be organized for sometime when I'm not around, but there is a small community (getting larger) of us online now. Meeting for a drink or whatever would be interesting.
And Jason, you're on the list now. Just so you know...
A meetup sounds like a great idea, and there is potential for more than one, for sure. Other people beside you are likely to be home at Christmas.
Too bad about the loooong winter... I guess the early fall isn't so bad, but I daresay you feel like I did went sarai in BC posted those crocus pics in February.
A meetup sounds like a great idea, and there is potential for more than one, for sure. Other people beside you are likely to be home at Christmas.
Too bad about the loooong winter... I guess the early fall isn't so bad, but I daresay you feel like I did went sarai in BC posted those crocus pics in February.
It's still that cold?! Gahh. I feel your pain.
I'll be back in June for Leg opening. Please tell me I can leave the parka behind
It'll probably be around 0 in early June, at least that's what people tell me. And probably quite mucky. I'd bring a decent pair of rubber boots in lieu of the -40 proof parka this time.
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