Two weeks ago, I probably wouldn't have had time to sit and blog. Life has certainly slowed down a bit since moving to Victoria. Days in Ontario spent juggling work, family engagements, committee responsibilities, live concerts and social events have dissipated into life in Victoria which at the moment is mostly comprised of getting settled in at the new job, exploring the city, tying up loose ends in London (a bit of a pain in the butt from the other side of the country), a toned down social life, and lots and lots of online music.
My favourite online radio station
A collegue from King's turned me onto SOMA FM about four years ago and it has continued to be my favourite online radio station ever since. "What's not to love about 14 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free, underground/alternative radio broadcasting from San Francisco." If memory serves me correctly, he was a fan of their Drone Zone and Groove Salad channels (two of their most popular offerings). I myself LOVE their Indy Pop Rocks channel. Up until recently, Indy Pop Rocks was the best source of new Canadian music. The broadcast served as my introduction to many of the Canadian bands currently in heavy rotation on my iPod including Great Lakes Swimmers, City and Colour and Mother Mother. By the way, I noticed SOMA is also offering two Christmas channels at the moment. If you work in a environment that necessitates the playing of Christmas music at this time of year, I'd say this would be the way to go. They are also in the midst of a fundraising drive. I've already sent in my cheque.
My new second favourite online radio station
CBC Radio 3, you're a solid number 2 in my books! A friend invited me to an Ontario chapter Audio Engineering Society event a few months back given by Peter Cook, Recording Engineer/Producer for CBC Radio 2 who was put in charge of the restructuring of the station along with the launch of CBC Radio 3. Having heard all the complaints about the changes from friends in the midst of getting their music degrees it was interesting to hear him speak about the situation that lead to such a drastic upheaval of their old practices (namely the lack of new listnership amongst younger age groups). What I appreciate most about the process they went through was that they put an old audiophile of the analogue persuation in charge. Nice! The quality of their recorded concerts cannot be beat and their broadcast sounds equally at home playing over my high quality stereo speakers as it does through my laptop speakers. The station turned me onto Chad VanGaalen and Holy Fuck. My only complaint is that it's a bit overdone. I love the web 2.0 functionality when I'm in the mood for it, but sometimes I just want to listen to music - but not always to the same kind of music. Give me choices!
My new record collection
With all our stuff still back in Ontario I experienced a bit of a panic when the flash drive containing all my music was accidentally erased this week. Thankfully a colleague turned me onto favtape.com. The site touts itself as being the easiest way to play music online, and when it works, I'd say they're probably right. More straightforward than predecessors Pandora (which is still not available in Canada) and the now defunct Muxtape, it's as simple as typing an artist into the search and pressing enter. The audio files are pulled from YouTube so the quality is a bit uneven and there are some amature covers thrown into most search results, but all in all it's a pretty enjoyable experience.
Whatever station or service I listen to, each with their own benefits and limitations, I'm these days pretty pleased with the quality of the musical talent that's out there. I spend more money than I ever have on music. Thank GOD the internnet saved the music industry from the glossy, overproduced and talentless corporate controlled purgatory it was sinking into.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
First Encounters - Part ll
Top 5 most memorable first encounters with a city or town:
#5 - Victoria, BC, 2008
I don't expect I'll encounter too many experiences like this in my life time. Selling most of our belongings and bidding a fond farewell to a comfy home, job and good friends to move to the other side of the country and start again had the makings of a memorable experience even before leaving the other London. We'll see how this one plays out. For the time being, a little over a week after arriving in Victoria, I find myself waking up in the morning and wondering how I got here...and why it hasn't started snowing yet...
#4 - Rocky Harbour, NFLD, 2003
I'd heard many people say that Newfoundland is the most beautiful place in the world. That arriving there is "just like coming home". Well, I've heard lots of people say similar things about lots of places. It's all relative. Right? I thought so too, until we visited Newfoundland in 2003. It really is the most beautiful place in the world and Gros Morne National Park is the most beautiful part of the province. Unbelievable.
#3 - La Paz, Bolivia, 2008
I expect anyone who's ever flown into La Paz from sea level will know why I've included it on this list. The flight from Miami is an over-nighter that lands at sunrise amidst unbelievable views of the Andes, the red-brown rocky terrain of the Alta Plano and the endless third world sprawl of El Alto. If the beauty of the landscape, the culture shock or the jet lag aren't enough to consititue a memorable experience, the sudden transition to 4,000 metres above sea level will seal the deal. Getting into a cab at the airport with a driver who couldn't understand our Spanish or speak English was kind of fun, too.
It took about two days for us to get used to breathing the thin air. When a Brazilian girl we met on Isla del Sol heard that we had flown directly into La Paz she looked at us in disbelief and quipped, "Are you crazy?" Crazy? Perhaps. In the right place? Definitely. Bolivia is the most amazing country I've ever visited. Hands down!
#2 - London, England, 1994
Without a doubt, April 5, 1994 was the worst day of my life. It's the day that I finally came to understand the meaning of the saying "kicked when you're already down". It's the day the guy I'd become engaged to in a cafe near the Eiffel Tower two days before told me he wouldn't be going to England and I decided to go on anyway realizing too late that he didn't mean he wanted us to part ways - just that he didn't want to go to England. The day I left Paris on a train bound for London, England with about $100 Swiss Francs a maxed out credit card and too much pride to ask my parents to wire me money to get back home to Canada. The day I travelled in the same train compartment with the Smiths from upstate New York who had brought along the bottle of "French wine" from their hotel room fridge that had a twist off cap. After the wine, Mrs. Smith delivered a four hour running commentary of the view out the window as we rode through the French country side while her husband snored beside her. The day I rode a jet-foil for the first time across the Channel and got seasick for the first time. The day the Immigration Officer at Dover almost turned me away at the boarder for having less than the minimum monetary requirement for entering the UK (I don't know if it's still like this but at the time, travellers entering the UK were required to prove that they possesed the equivalent of $5000 USD). The day the friend who came to pick me up at the train station in London, gave me a big hug and told me, "I heard the news."
I thought to myself, how could he possibly have heard? I hadn't even told anyone I'd become engaged. "The news?"
"Yes, Kurt Cobain died this morning. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
#1 - Victoria, BC, 1990
Driving across the country from London, Ontario to Victoria, BC on the Trans-Canada at 17 years old in a '67 Volvo is most likely the coolest thing I'll ever do.
#5 - Victoria, BC, 2008
I don't expect I'll encounter too many experiences like this in my life time. Selling most of our belongings and bidding a fond farewell to a comfy home, job and good friends to move to the other side of the country and start again had the makings of a memorable experience even before leaving the other London. We'll see how this one plays out. For the time being, a little over a week after arriving in Victoria, I find myself waking up in the morning and wondering how I got here...and why it hasn't started snowing yet...
#4 - Rocky Harbour, NFLD, 2003
I'd heard many people say that Newfoundland is the most beautiful place in the world. That arriving there is "just like coming home". Well, I've heard lots of people say similar things about lots of places. It's all relative. Right? I thought so too, until we visited Newfoundland in 2003. It really is the most beautiful place in the world and Gros Morne National Park is the most beautiful part of the province. Unbelievable.
#3 - La Paz, Bolivia, 2008
I expect anyone who's ever flown into La Paz from sea level will know why I've included it on this list. The flight from Miami is an over-nighter that lands at sunrise amidst unbelievable views of the Andes, the red-brown rocky terrain of the Alta Plano and the endless third world sprawl of El Alto. If the beauty of the landscape, the culture shock or the jet lag aren't enough to consititue a memorable experience, the sudden transition to 4,000 metres above sea level will seal the deal. Getting into a cab at the airport with a driver who couldn't understand our Spanish or speak English was kind of fun, too.
It took about two days for us to get used to breathing the thin air. When a Brazilian girl we met on Isla del Sol heard that we had flown directly into La Paz she looked at us in disbelief and quipped, "Are you crazy?" Crazy? Perhaps. In the right place? Definitely. Bolivia is the most amazing country I've ever visited. Hands down!
#2 - London, England, 1994
Without a doubt, April 5, 1994 was the worst day of my life. It's the day that I finally came to understand the meaning of the saying "kicked when you're already down". It's the day the guy I'd become engaged to in a cafe near the Eiffel Tower two days before told me he wouldn't be going to England and I decided to go on anyway realizing too late that he didn't mean he wanted us to part ways - just that he didn't want to go to England. The day I left Paris on a train bound for London, England with about $100 Swiss Francs a maxed out credit card and too much pride to ask my parents to wire me money to get back home to Canada. The day I travelled in the same train compartment with the Smiths from upstate New York who had brought along the bottle of "French wine" from their hotel room fridge that had a twist off cap. After the wine, Mrs. Smith delivered a four hour running commentary of the view out the window as we rode through the French country side while her husband snored beside her. The day I rode a jet-foil for the first time across the Channel and got seasick for the first time. The day the Immigration Officer at Dover almost turned me away at the boarder for having less than the minimum monetary requirement for entering the UK (I don't know if it's still like this but at the time, travellers entering the UK were required to prove that they possesed the equivalent of $5000 USD). The day the friend who came to pick me up at the train station in London, gave me a big hug and told me, "I heard the news."
I thought to myself, how could he possibly have heard? I hadn't even told anyone I'd become engaged. "The news?"
"Yes, Kurt Cobain died this morning. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
#1 - Victoria, BC, 1990
Driving across the country from London, Ontario to Victoria, BC on the Trans-Canada at 17 years old in a '67 Volvo is most likely the coolest thing I'll ever do.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
First Encounters
Having spent a full week in Victoria I felt it was high time I take in the double-decker bus tour that departs twice daily from the Empress Hotel located on the banks of the city's picturesque inner harbour. I expected it would be a good opportunity to get acquainted with my new home city in a compact amount of time. I also realized that, as a resident of Victoria, the window of opportunity in which it would be excusable for me to partake in such an activity might soon close.
Though I'm not completely convinced it was worth the price tag, the one and a half hour tour did provide in-depth knowlege of the architectural merit of some of Victoria's landmark buildings, historic knowledge of the city's more notable neighbourhoods and stunning views of the area's numerous bays. That said, for others in a similar situation I would suggest forgoing the tour in favour of a walk around the downtown area (including Beacon Hill park) and a visit to Craigdarroch Castle.
Over priced bus tour aside, the experience of moving to Victoria has, so far, been a pretty postive one. As cities go, it would be hard not to like it - it's a pretty town, with better infrastructure than similarly sized cities, friendly, laid back inhabitants, and an agreeable climate. I know there are those that complain about the rain, and perhaps I might come to join in the lament eventually, but having come from the snowbelt region of Ontario, I say the weather in Victoria is a bit better than fair to middling. I'd take the drizzle over ice pelets and half frozen muddy puddles any day.
Though I'm not completely convinced it was worth the price tag, the one and a half hour tour did provide in-depth knowlege of the architectural merit of some of Victoria's landmark buildings, historic knowledge of the city's more notable neighbourhoods and stunning views of the area's numerous bays. That said, for others in a similar situation I would suggest forgoing the tour in favour of a walk around the downtown area (including Beacon Hill park) and a visit to Craigdarroch Castle.
Over priced bus tour aside, the experience of moving to Victoria has, so far, been a pretty postive one. As cities go, it would be hard not to like it - it's a pretty town, with better infrastructure than similarly sized cities, friendly, laid back inhabitants, and an agreeable climate. I know there are those that complain about the rain, and perhaps I might come to join in the lament eventually, but having come from the snowbelt region of Ontario, I say the weather in Victoria is a bit better than fair to middling. I'd take the drizzle over ice pelets and half frozen muddy puddles any day.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
A Summer Song
Well, it's not quite summer, but considering London had a snow day today, I'd say it's relatively close. The weather today was a beautiful sunny 10 degrees. I don't know how long it'll last, but it's a welcome alternative to snow, however brief. My colleagues were lamenting at the cold weather. I walked home for lunch and found it was almost too warm for a jacket.
The list of places I've been told I must visit is getting quite long. Here's the list so far:
Butchart Gardens
Sally Buns
Mount Douglas
Tofino and Ucluelet
Hermann's Jazz Club
Wells Books
Salt Springs
lobby of The Empress
Beacon Hill Park
Micro Brewery tour
Chinatown
etc, etc, etc
And then there are the things B and I have been planning to do for years which include The Pacific Trail the Juan de Fuca and a kayak trip to the Gwaii Haanas. So much to do!
As for the rest, I've been spending the last few days getting settled in at work and am looking forward to getting down to business with some projects tomorrow. I'm hoping I'll have some pictures of the campus, which is beautiful, to share soon.
'Til next time!
The list of places I've been told I must visit is getting quite long. Here's the list so far:
Butchart Gardens
Sally Buns
Mount Douglas
Tofino and Ucluelet
Hermann's Jazz Club
Wells Books
Salt Springs
lobby of The Empress
Beacon Hill Park
Micro Brewery tour
Chinatown
etc, etc, etc
And then there are the things B and I have been planning to do for years which include The Pacific Trail the Juan de Fuca and a kayak trip to the Gwaii Haanas. So much to do!
As for the rest, I've been spending the last few days getting settled in at work and am looking forward to getting down to business with some projects tomorrow. I'm hoping I'll have some pictures of the campus, which is beautiful, to share soon.
'Til next time!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Other London to Victoria, BC
Who'd have thought that you could change planes so many times between Ontario and BC? I'm guessing it's probably not a record, but the flight to Victoria entailed changing planes in both Winnipeg (-4 and snowing) and Calgary (a balmy +4).
The Sutherlands gave me a warm welcome to my new base city upon my arrival at the airport. It was unfortunate I arrived after nightfall as I would've liked to have taken in the sights on the drive into town. I did get a good view of the White Spot where we stopped so I could grab a late dinner. The White Spot!
After spending the last few weeks engulfed in the bittersweet melancholy of clearing house and saying good-bye to good friends and family if feels good to finally be here. I'll spend the day unpacking and exploring. Tomorrow I start in my new position at UVic. So many new things!
The Sutherlands gave me a warm welcome to my new base city upon my arrival at the airport. It was unfortunate I arrived after nightfall as I would've liked to have taken in the sights on the drive into town. I did get a good view of the White Spot where we stopped so I could grab a late dinner. The White Spot!
After spending the last few weeks engulfed in the bittersweet melancholy of clearing house and saying good-bye to good friends and family if feels good to finally be here. I'll spend the day unpacking and exploring. Tomorrow I start in my new position at UVic. So many new things!
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