The last couple of days

A few things of note around town, and with us, that I haven’t gotten around to mentioning due to the boarderline mania I’m experiencing trying to write the book. I’m at 43,000 words, which is a retarded amount to have written in about three weeks, but there you go.

1. We finally got our sealift on Friday. It’s a smaller sealift than in the past two years because we have a smaller sealift room, plus there’s still lots of stuff left over from previous years. I think we might reevaluate our order next year. We like being able to order online using Northmart and we like that they deliver the stuff right to you door. On the other hand, they had our stuff in their warehouse for the better part of three weeks before they delivered it. Plus, we still haven’t got it all yet. Our soft drinks won’t arrive until early October at the earliest.

So yeah, we’ll see about next year. We might switch to someone else. It’d be nice to go to Ottawa and prepare our own sealift, but there’s just no way we have the time.

2. Thanks to a story in News North, at least we now know what’s going on with The Snack. The takeout restaurant used to be located right next door to us until it burned down last winter. They had started construction, but then stopped. Apparently it was going to cost them about 50 per cent more than they had thought to rebuild and they’re now scrambling to find investors.

On the one hand, we’re sorry this is happening to them. It’s shitty they’ve already put so much time and money into rebuilding and are now hitting these snags. On the other hand, we’re both trying to lose weight and The Snack was a powerful temptation to cheat. Especially since they made kickass poutine and had the only half decent club sandwich in town.

3. Speaking of restaurants, we tried out the new one in town on Saturday called The Water’s Edge, which does steak and seafood. I thought about how to sum up the experience, but one of the waitresses who served us summed it up best at the end of the evening.

“I think we might have opened up a bit too early.”

Yup. The menu was pretty limited to begin with and then a third of the items on it were crossed off because they didn’t have it. That included a soup of the day. If you’re a restaurant and you can’t manage to whip up a soup of the day, I think you might have jumped the gun.

Cathy had a New York Striplon on “smashed” potatoes. I had the Tuscan chicken on risotto. Both meals can best be described as bland. I was kind of afraid of this. The people who ran Wizard’s Bistro are now running this place. My take on Wizard’s was always they did half decent lunches, really, really good deserts and perfectly mediocre entrees. Water’s Edge appears to be carrying that over.

I hope I’m wrong, it’s just new restaurant jitters and they have it all worked out in a few weeks. But I think we’ll give it until some time in November before we try it again.

4. On the upside, we did get a nice walrus sculpture, which we both quite like. About $220 in case you’re wondering. I think I'll post up in a few days our complete collection of local art we've acquired, along with some of the Cape Dorset prints we're looking at when they go on sale.

5. The snow continues to creep in around the edges in town. There was another dusting last night and it was still on the car when we woke up this morning. You could still see it in place around town at lunch time. It’s only a matter of time before it covers the ground and stays until next June.

6. Had the car in to get some work done on the brakes and a front wheel that had been making some noise. So that was $900. Only when I tried to leave work the car began to stall and she was even worse this evening. So clearly the guys did something when they had her in the shop. Which means back she goes tomorrow. If there's something wrong that they did and they try to charge me for it, there will be words. But hopefully it won't come to that.

Rain on me

Just before I left work at lunch time Tom Waits began to croak via my iPod "Why's it always got to rain on me?", which was appropriate enough given the weather outside. Raining again in Iqaluit. The weather has been almost unrelenting unpleasant for most of July. When there hasn't been ice lingering for weeks longer than anticipated, it's either been foggy, cloudy, raining or cold. And, in some magical cases, all of it at once. I actually saw ice back in the bay today. It's July 26. That's really depressing.

I know people like to lament about the weather. It's a grand Canadian tradition. Hell, it's apparently also the last refuge for bloggers with nothing better to talk about. I've been hearing some complaining back in Newfoundland about the summer they're having so far.

But I think it's worse if you live here. The window for summer in Iqaluit is very, very narrow. Much more narrow than Newfoundland. You have July and August. That's it. Sometimes you don't even get that. So having a sucky month, as we are right now, tends to get people down. When you have a short summer, you really savor it.

But all this rain and cold takes the joy out of things. Iqaluit is not a town at its best when it rains. It gets mucky everywhere and the roads quickly become filled with potholes. Even when it gets sunny now, there's so many standing pools of water that swarms of mosquitoes spring forth in numbers large enough to carry off a decent sized caribou.

So yes, summer 07 is a fairly dismal affair so far.

On a positive note, I finally got my Harry Potter this afternoon. The one Cathy sent me via Expresspost. This blog is being written during a short break from the book, otherwise I'm just going to burn through it and not enjoy it as I should.

The downside is my request to Chapters to cancel my order was apparently rejected another copy is on the way. It was sent five days after the initial release date. I'm more than a little annoyed by that. Annoyed enough that the book is coming home with me and is being returned to Chapters in St. John's, which I can do, apparently.

Anyway, I'm off to read some more Potter and listen to the rain pelt down.

Crazy time

I've checked and apparently there's no full moon this weekend. We've got another week until there's a full moon.

Understand, I know that with this much daylight the odds of me actually seeing a full moon are pretty much non-existent. However, I believe there is something to the theory that people get a little crazier when the moon is full, even if you can't see it. I don't know why that's the case, but I've spoken to a few mental health professionals in my day and they certainly dread full moons.

So I guess the recent craziness has to do with the daylight. I tell people things get a little nutty with 24 hours of daylight, but they never really seem to grasp it.

Granted, so far this weekend we haven't had the zaniness of last weekend. No gunfire, so far as I know. Here are a few takes on that.

I managed to avoid most of that, but I guess they've migrated down by way this weekend. It got started with a drunk woman stumbling around screaming "Fuck!" and awful lot, and weaving in front of vehicles. The RCMP eventually picked her up and carted her away. Which I thought was the end of it, until I awoke to her dulcet tones of "Fuck you, you motherfucker. I just got out of jail" this morning around 9 a.m. A quick glance outside indicated just that and apparently a night in the jail had made her no more sober.

This evening got rolling with a fight outside my window with some guy, once again, screaming "Fuck!" a lot (If I could have dollar for every time I've heard it said this weekend, I would march into work on Monday and promptly quit), throwing a few "Whore" and "Slut" just for good measure. There was also an exchange where he insinuated the woman he was screaming at had fucked his sister and given her an STD and that she has also, in fact, fucked everybody in Iqaluit.

As you can imagine, that was a bit of a surprise to me. I felt like yelling out the window and correcting him, but it's often wise to just stay our of these matters.

And now I have 10 year old kids running around outside screaming and shouting "fuck" an awful lot. It's about midnight.

So far, knock on wood, the car remains unscathed. That might not hold, but I really do believe the volume of cameras on the outside of the building helps.

The mayor of town, in the CBC story, blames the increased daylight, saying people are staying up later and creating more mischief. And she's right, of course. It's the sun, not the moon, driving the loons. Still, it does require a degree of patience when things are getting a touch on the ridiculous.

I'm compensating by rereading "Order of the Phoenix" and listening to Patton Oswalt's new comedy CD "Werewolves and Lollipops". Because really, if I have to listen to someone scream "Fuck!" a lot, then at the very least they can be funny...

A stroll along the beach

So Monday was Nunavut Day. And while there were plenty of activities going on, I tended to stray away from them.

No doubt this will fire up some of the "only children are damaged" debate, but I get like this when I'm solo as I am right now. I'm happily married, however it's been a long, patient struggle on both myself and Cathy's part to overcome my loner tendencies. I very much value my privacy and time alone. Some people can't handle being alone and have to be out and about. I couldn't be more comfortable being on my own. I have endless things to entertain me.

So when I swung over to the Legislature looking for a muskox burger (alas, I arrived too late) and then headed over the the Cadet Hall to see what was happening, I actually got a touch uncomfortable with all the people there.

It's a basic introvert vs. extrovert thing. I could have overcome my introvert tendencies, stuck around and mingled with people and played a few games. But it honestly would have meant dipping into my reserves and to hell with it, it was a day off.

So instead I found myself strolling down towards the beach to see if the ice had cleared away from the beach. It hadn't. In fact, talking to a couple of people, I found it the barge tried to come ashore at high tide, but the little remaining ice in the bay shifted and range aground near the beach, making it impossible.

The sealift folks must be going crazy. the vessels have been offshore for the better part of a week now. The bay is mostly ice free. It's just what's left is stubbornly hang on around the beach, making unloading impossible








The next hour or so was just a pleasant stroll down the beach, taking photos of things that caught my eye until I made it to the breakwater. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon. Perhaps not the most social, but I was relaxed when I got home. Plus, I think I got some nice pictures.

Sunset

I missed the best of it. By the time I looked outside and saw the colours, they were already beginning to fade, but I still managed to grab a couple of quick shots.

Is there a greater bane to photographers than goddamn telephone wires?

White Stripes in Iqaluit

Sorry to get all rock cliche here, folks, but dude, the concert fucking rocked!

Seriously. I had some reservations going in. I liked the White Stripes, but was hardly a massive fan of the band. The legitimate question could be asked that if I was in St. John's, would I have bought tickets? I'm not sure. I would have had to think about it. But here, no question.



I was also wondering, despite all the reviews, how good a two person band could be live.

Man, I've seen five man bands with not a tenth of the energy that Jack White had on stage last night. Even Meg, behind the drums most of the evening, had some kind of weird magnetic allure. Cathy was utterly baffled at the way she played drums and behaved, but you couldn't take your eyes off of her. Except for when Jack was running around the stage doing something even more captivating.



I frankly can't tell you the song list. Sorry. As I said, I wasn't a huge fan before. "Jolene" was played. So what "Hardest Button to Button." Meg scooted out to do "Cold, Cold Night" to much applause and then was back behind the drums before Jack could finish playing his solo.

As for Jack, well, I'm glad we got to see him early in the tour. I honestly wonder how that man''s voice is going to hold up the length of the tour with the way he was pounding it last night. He certainly wasn't holding much back.

It's also perhaps the first rock concert I've been to (remember, we don't see many good ones in Newfoundland) where I was genuinely in awe of the guitar playing. Even Cathy, who admits to not being an expert on such things and found the show "loud" was impressed. He went through three of four guitars and did several amazing solos not to mention just the normal playing in the course of the song. Astonishing stuff.



The show was a little more than 90 minutes long, and that included the encore. After asking for requests and hearing most of the audience scream for "Seven Nation Army", they played that song, although I think Jack would be the first to admit they botched it a bit.

And I certainly can't say I felt robbed. They were on stage promptly at 9 p.m. They ripped through their set with hardly a break. Jack only began chatting a bit with the audience in the encore, mentioning they met with Inuit elders the afternoon before the show and tried raw caribou for the first time, much to the approval of the audience.



Looking, it was a goddamn amazing show, made all the more amazing by where it was happening. The audience was going nuts the entire show and the band seemed to feed off of it.

I think towards the end of the show they said they might come back. It's hard to say for sure. The audio wasn't as bad as I feared, but understanding Jack when he was trying to talk wasn't the easiest. And you know, I honestly think they might. It was pretty cool of them to come here in the first place. Those of you waiting to see them later in the tour are in for a treat.



Oh, and as you can tell, the whole "no cameras allowed" thing was a joke. There was a sign all right. But there must have been dozens of digital cameras and cell phone cameras going off during the show.

Also a pity there was only 600 people allowed in. Fire regs, I understand, but there sure seemed like a lot of space left.

Pre-show

So the long anticipated White Stripes show happens tomorrow evening. I'm not hearing much buzz about it in town, but let's be honest, I'm hardly in the loop of what the average person in town is thinking. And you know, I like it. For years I stressed about what people were thinking and talking about because that's part of your job as a reporter. "What are people talking about this week?" And from there, you might do a story or two.

Now, I could give a rat's ass. I am zen in my ambivalence. It's very relaxing.

Anyway, the show is tomorrow. I also pick up the tickets tomorrow, which would be alarming, but we've been assured that it won't be a problem. I don't know if I can bring the big camera or not so I'm debating whether or not I will. I'd kind of like to so I can get some nice pictures.

The one bit of amusing news we're hearing about the show is the stuff leaking out about the band's rider. You may have heard or these things, where a band tells the organizers what they must have in order to perform. Riders can get pretty retarded, as in I think some artists see how far they can push things and get away with it. Specific brands of booze or condoms. All the food has to be white. Thread count on sheets. That sort of thing.

And you can get away with that if you're in New York or London. But we're in Iqaluit. So requesting a limo, as the band apparently has, doesn't work when there's no limo in Iqaluit. The nearest limo is in Ottawa. I believe the compromise is a school bus. Or that the band requires a change room with specific dimensions and a mirror of a certain size, to which they were reportedly told they were more than welcome to use the hockey change rooms.

There were other requests that apparently were equally odd, but I haven't heard them. Oh, they also wanted blue Smarties. The organizers can get those.

Welcome to Iqaluit, guys. Here's hoping the shock doesn't kill you.

So far, things do appear promising though. Most of the reviews I've read for Icky Thump have been positive - Rolling Stone, Chart Attack, Billboard and Blender to name just a few.

For what it's worth, I like the record as well. It's not as good as "Elephant", but it's got enough catchy songs on it that I enjoy listening to it, although there's nothing as mind-blowing as "Seven Nation Army" on it. But it is "heavy" with lots of loud guitar. Which is fine for me, but not so much for Cathy, who has never been a fan of the angry guitar.

That ought to make tomorrow night's show interesting for her as I'm not expecting a subtle, quiet, thoughtful evening. Then again Cathy's going primarily for the surreal experience of seeing a major rock band in Iqaluit. And the t-shirt.

As for what kind of show to expect, it's hard to say. No one in town is holding out much hope for the acoustics at the Winter Games Complex. But reviews of their concerts so far have been high on the praise. Remember, it's just the two of them on stage. Yet the Globe and Mail, Rolling Stone and Chart Attack have all given positive reviews of their shows so far on this tour. So there's hope.

The band really appears to have tapped into something by doing this kind of massive Canadian tour. There's almost a giddy national response that a major band is doing this kind of national tour and playing places like Iqaluit. Long after they might fade in the U.S. I think they will be able to sell out anywhere in Canada, just because of this tour.

Although if I see Trooper opening for the White Stripes in Bay Roberts 10 years from now, I think I might just have to shoot them as an act of mercy.

Anyway, we're looking forward to the show. I'll have a review either Wednesday or Thursday.

At the arts and craft show

Yes, I know, this is beginning to feel like a photo blog. I assure you, it'll change back to actual writing this week. However, I've just had things I wanted to take photos of and put up on the blog this weekend.

Aside from rivers overflowing, there's also the Alianait Arts Festivals happening until July 1. A lot of the events are musical in nature, but out at the old residence of the Arctic College the Nunavut Arts and Crafts Association they've been doing a few things. They've had carvers outside working on pieces. Inside, people could take lessons on making different kinds of crafts, plus a nice display of the works of artists from other parts of Nunavut.

Each region, hell, each community tends to focus on different types of artwork. Some focus more on painting, others sculpture, other quilt-making or dolls.

So here are some of the pictures I took while spending a nice hour or two bumbling around the event.



This handsome fellow greets people when you walk through the door.




This carving is entirely too cute.




I liked the bright beadwork on this doll.




A caribou along with a couple of knives.




A fairly fearsome looking polar bear carved from a caribou antler.




Another polar bear, this one carved from marble.




One of the quilt's on display.




A carver working outside the event.




Another carver working on a piece.




And yet another carver.




So at the end of the day, this is what I came home with. I couldn't resist the walrus sculptures. And when I couldn't figure out which of three I wanted, I decided to buy the two less expensive ones. I've never seen anything like them around town. And they work nicely as a pair. I thought about giving one as a gift, but no. I'm keeping them both.

As for the bracelet, it's one Cathy bought a couple of weeks ago, but it was on display at the museum until the exhibit was over. It's a series of muskox made from silver. It's really quite nice.

Unjammed

No sooner do I write about how gummed up the Sylvia Grinnell River is than we go back out there today and the blockage is clear. Of course, when you have waters that high, and that much ice, there's going to be a little bit left behind when the river resumes its normal course.

I won't bore you too much, you four quick photos of the ice. The thing that amused me the most were the anglers, off in the distance, trying to catch fish. I wonder if they had much luck.

Overflow

I mentioned the other day that the Sylvia Grinnell River had overflowed its banks the other day. I thought I'd show you all an idea of what I mean.

This was the river on June 11.










And this was the river on June 21.












No real damage done, still it's interesting to see how much the river has changed in just 10 days because of what appears to me to be a relatively small ice blockage. The water levels rose 15 feet in those 10 days. It's also a high tide this weekend, which might clear up the blockage, or making things worse. I guess we'll find out on Monday.

I've also learned that no matter what the lighting conditions, ice is a bitch to photograph.

Melting the ice

With the temperatures going up, the ice that has been present in the harbour and outer bay is finally starting to take a bit of a hit.

When I came up here, the perception I had on the way ice must work up here was not in touch with the reality of it. In my lifetime, when ice happened around St. John’s, it was never formed there. The temperatures simply never got cold enough. Instead, ice was something that happened in the spring of the year. Ice packs would come down from the arctic, the wind and currents would blow it ashore and they would gum up the works until the wind would shift and the ice pack would blow off shore. And somewhere out in the middle of the Atlantic, all that ice would shift back to water.

And for whatever bizarre reason I assumed the same mechanics must work up here as well. It was a bit of a shock my first winter up here when the mysterious pack ice didn’t blow into town and stay, the bay simply froze solid. Ta da! And it stayed that way for the better part of six or seven months when the bay simply melted. Ta da!

No winds or mystery currents needed. The bay freezes. The bay thaws. I’m sure some of the ice gets blown out to sea and makes it’s way south, but around town, not so much.

Anyway, we’re in bay thawing mode right now. The ocean beneath is starting to warm up. The air temperature is above zero and we had a fair bit of rain on the weekend. So we’re starting to see small lakes forming out on the ice. It’s also a very nice shade of blue. I know that’s an odd thing to say, but it is. It’s a shade of blue I haven’t seen in awhile. It just catches my eye.

If I had written this blog on Saturday, I would have said the ice is also getting to the point where it’s getting too dangerous to go out on it in snowmobiles and the like. I hadn’t seen one zipping across the bay in days at that point. And yet, Sunday evening Cathy called out to me and pointed to a snowmobile towing a kamitik. He was close to shore, but still. So the ice is apparently still thick enough, but I’ve got to think that’s not going to last much longer.

Anyway, on a lark I grabbed the camera and drove to a couple of different spots around town last night to get some shots of the bay. And tonight we took Boo for a walk at Sylvia Grenell, a park just outside of town. I’m not sure it really conveys the colour out there all that well. The sun was a bit hit and miss the last two nights. But here are a few shots.