Kelowna Diaries

3 out of 4 ain't bad

2010-07-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

Chachi

2010-07-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally coming around; mind you nothing like Ontario. The Kelowna weather bureau claims Summer in now upon us and to expect hotter and nicer weather with each coming day...we'll see. I hope it's true since the two oldest women in my family constantly complain about the weather here. I don't need the weather to give them any additional excuse to bitch; they do enuff of that already. Have we as a society decided to simply bitch more? Are we all angry that life and entitlement isn't what we were told it would be? Are the Zoomers responsible for it all? They seem happy. They certainly seem fit enough. What is it about that generation that allows them to continue to enjoy life on their terms? I dunno; my peer group seems to live day by day with future uncertain. I mean people I work with don't seem to even have a plan for their retirement. Like me, they're too busy trying to make ends-meat that they're not thinking about what happens when their earning years end. I'm starting to think about it and it worries me. I'm doing well, even exceeding expectations of what I expected but as per usual, it's not enough.....it's never enough. A family sure knows how to burn thru money; I knew that to be true before I had a family....still, I went in the direction of family. I can say, the reward of family out merits the reward of money, but fuck, money does make things easier. Money and me might never be the friends we once were. Speaking of money; Kelowna has a group of people called, " The Kelowna Chachi's". This is the Kelowna single male that drives a souped up convertable, struts around topless and wears a ballcap sideways. He's a bright example of having money, no family and no cares. Sadly, his reign only lasts for a short time. He's destined to hook up with a woman, have a family and soon becomes know as "A Kelowna Casualty". Living the Kelowna lie and running out of money. Stories are abundant here of such a casualty. The home market is embarrassingly in the favour of the buyer, not the seller. Auction houses cheer in glee for every Chachi that falls down his destined miserable path. We had a storage unit owner almost begging us to buy a big, no huge screen TV to clear the debt of one of his renters. We passed since we know the next Chachi with a big flat screen has rent due in only a few days.

Happy! Happy! Happy!

2010-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

The nice weather finally came. Yes, it is nice here. We'll see if it continues....
I've taken a new approach. Long have I felt responsible for the rest of my families happiness. My mood peaks and careens with theirs. Often it has been a large burden that I seemingly can never satisfy. Moving to this new world has certainly unsettled some members of the family, but now I am resolved to the fact that I cannot be 100% responsible for anyone's full happiness. As such, I am going to move forward with a plan to ensure my 100% full happiness. I am going to join a club and start spending time on things that are rewarding to myself. I suspect, that this will in turn, make all those around me happier just by my being happier. At least it will force them to seek happiness; just to deal with my sense of freedom and happiness. A solid idea; you think so? I can't say now, what club I will be joining as I'm busy checking schedules and memberships of many. I have a few ideas; ideas that will satisfy another approach that I have; "The No Regrets @ 40 Club". I hope to share an update on both 'clubs' soon.

Work not Pleasure

2010-06-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Tell me about it! May came and went without one freakin' post. I don't want to say that I was too busy to even squeeze in one post or update, but I do have to say that I WAS too busy to even squeeze in one post or update. Now, certainly I could've scheduled a 5am time to write or perhaps 12:53am might've worked, but friends, I will tell you, the rest of my time is filled up. Now, don't get me wrong,...I'm a happy guy. My life is full and I'm proud of it. My family and work take all that I've got. Some would argue that there should be some personal time; some hobby to spend some time and energy on. I see that in the future, but now my focus is on what is most important to me. If it's a sacrifice, meaning sacrificing myself, so be it. It's only in the short term. I feel good and have a real purpose on how the next few years of this life will roll out. Kelowna has delivered on it's work promise. I'm very happy working here and see the city as one of opportunity. I will however, not let the lies continue, that the climate is wonderful here and that this is a real destination city. The weather sucks and hearing that "it's not seasonal" doesn't give me any more comfort. The only reason for this place to be a destination city is if you've never been to a real city. 110,000 people might be an urban giant if you grew up Kleinburg; then this would be a destination city! I dunno! I don't see what others see about being here. Perhaps, it has something to do with how I found myself here. I came for opportunity. Word on the street here is that others come to show off. There's story after story about another Kelowna casualty. That Kelwona is much about flash and little about substance; I'm told to watch for all the fancy cars that roll into town later this month. Perhaps I see Kelowna for it's nuts and bolts; the working class that lives here. I'm not simply dropping in for a visit at Sunset Resorts or mooring my yacht at the club. Kelowna has only made me miss Toronto.

Feeling some Relief

2010-04-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Got a people mover (car), secured an address - things are good. Next it's time to catch up or rather clean up all the loose ends of the move. It's a huge pile of tasks, but I'm, more importantly we, are feeling better and no doubt will be able to tackle all things when it comes. My creative juices are flowing and hope to channel that into something productive soon!

Dial 1

2010-04-20T07:12:00.001-07:00

Lost a few rentals because the landlords wouldn't spend the dime and dial 1 for a long distance number. It made things waaaaaay too stressful for the family; trying to obtain a full time residence. Everything is a big circle-jerk...can't update driver's lic, health card, transfer banks etc. If I knew that's what people would do, I would've thrown them the dime and tell them to suck it.

We did finally, get accepted for a place. It's simple and will serve us well for a year or more. Great backyard and a heated workshed (that I'm most excited about)! Our daughter can stay in the school she was enlisted to; so things are looking up. Next we have to get a 'people-mover' as so far, the family has been inprisioned in the short term rental with no wheels. We have a couple of offers pending...

the Universe

2010-03-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

I had meant to write. I had meant to write lots. Sometimes what is happening in life isn't meant to be recorded. Not while it's happening anyway.   If I had sat and wrote and brought you along the way; there would be a trail of unbelievable twists and turns, ups and downs, crashes to ashes and incredible recoveries. Writing now, it sounds like a good read and one that I should put to paper, but it wasn't much fun living it. Much like the stories of the empty well; the log cabin, our billy goat named, Winston the 5th; time allows for better story-telling and some healing from the bruisings.   I came close to a having a very serious accident today. I was driving to a job when a freak snowstorm fell on me with tremendous fury. I was outside of Kelowna about 40 minutes north and travelling high up a mountain. The road was quick to ice and get very slick. Our company vehicles aren't equipped with snow tires due to the short winter season here and as normally we're in town and not at an ear popping altitude. I was determined to reach this customer, to get them back into service and continued up the mountain against my better judgement. I thought, how could I tell my dispatch team that I couldn't do a job because I was afraid to drive there? The next tech would no doubt travel in great weather  and I'd be known as the guy who can't get the job done.

I climbed that mountain, slipping and sliding all the way; coming dangerously close to the edge where to fall off would mean great difficulty for any tow-truck/ emergency service vehicle to rescue the van, let alone the injury that I could suffer. I just kept telling myself to be careful. Take my time; drive slow. Then I stopped. I mean, the van stopped. It didn't stop running; it was running. All forward motion stopped. I could not will the van anymore upwards. Here, about 85% up the steep mountain incline, the van could accelerate no more. I put my foot on the brake and knew, now I have to answer to this decision. I didn't have room to turn around. It was a single lane road, up a mountain.  Road shoulders on this mountain was really just a few declining feet of loose stones that lead to a deep abyss and now they were slick with icy snow. So I did what only I knew to do. I talked to the Universe.  The Universe and I go way back. I remember, as a kid in Richmond Hill, talking to the Universe quite often. It seemed perfectly normal to me; the Universe would just 'check in', asking me how things were. We'd discus life, my plans, the Universe's plans for me and if it'd be warm enough to not wear a jacket. So, now, in the van, I asked the Universe about my chances.  I kinda got a shrug; not so good, I have to tell you. The Universe told me I was going into a ditch - best case. I'd be okay and not hurt, but the van is going in the ditch and I'm going to be stuck all day, in the storm, in the rolled over, dent damaged van waiting for help.

My customer will not get into service and while everyone I work with would feel bad for me; I'd be that guy that just seems like too much trouble. My hands were firmly in the 10 and 2 position on the steering wheel, so I layed my head down upon them to consider the story the Universe had just finished expressing to me. Really, I would've expected to ponder the thought longer, but I soon realized this story was nothing different from what the Universe has been telling me for years. To move this story along, I'll just give you the short version [but the longer version will be available in hardcover one day]; the Universe acts like it's at odd's with me!    I lifted my foot from the brake and slowly felt the van pull backwards down the mountain. It wanted to careen off to the side. It wanted to crash into the ditch. The weight of my equipment and ladder made it so I had to use zero gas to propel the vehicle in reverse; the icy snow was making sure of it.

I simply, in my mind imagined a straight line that the van would follow; follow down the mountain to the bend in the road. At the bend in the road, I imagined the van travelling backwards, finding the perfect line to stay in the middle of the road and get around the bend without falling off the side. I further imagined that after the bend, after I had successfully manouvered this most dangerous slide, I would find a 'fat' part of the road and safely, but slowly find a way to turn around. I imagined all this, while the Universe was hissing at me, telling me it wasn't going to work, yet looking more and more worried with each vehicle length I travelled.  I followed my straight line, I got to the bend, I executed the turn perfectly and did find a 'fat' spot to turn around. The Universe had left by now, not wanting to see my perfect little rescue. I righted the van and drove back down the mountain discouraged that I would still have to reroute the service order. I was numb, I won't lie. I smoked three cigarettes in a row.  Soon I was back in the valley; I pulled over to the side of the road to call my dispatch team and see if, by any chance, was the address on the trouble ticket I had wrong. It wasn't. I rubbed my forehead and said to myself, "I guess it won't all end well",..but wait! I leaned over to my passenger seat to open my laptop case to reroute the job and caught the number of the house in front of me - it was the number of the house I was looking for. The Universe popped back for a minute, just long enough for me to say, "Gotcha"!    I immediately got to work and got the customer back into service. I can't explain why I didn't see the house the first time I drove by and why I would be taken on a journey that had such real dangerous implications. Only the Universe knows and right now it's not telling.

Benign Positional Vertigo

2010-03-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

My spouse visited the doctor today. It wasn't just exhaustion; sometimes things can only get worse....

Vertigo is the feeling that you or your environment is moving or spinning. It differs from dizziness in that vertigo describes an illusion of movement. When you feel as if you yourself are moving, it's called subjective vertigo, and the perception that your surroundings are moving is called objective vertigo. Unlike nonspecific lightheadedness or dizziness, vertigo has relatively few causes.

A whole new Hell has been heaped upon us....

Spiraling

2010-03-15T20:59:00.000-07:00

Received a text from my spouse telling me she's suffering from symptoms of dizzyness, exhaustion and loss of vision. She couldn't stay up to even chat, having layed down to rest. I'm calling our doctor first thing tomorrow to see if she can get in to see him,..if she's even well enough to drive. The last of our household items were to be moved out tomorrow, to charity, but I hope she doesn't think she has to do this while feeling so much discomfort. It's not even all that important for her to oversee, we could probably find someone to meet the movers and arrange the final closing. Still, this pressure to do it all - as she has - has pushed her to the brink. I hope somebody will stop her tomorrow from driving if she's still showing any symptons. It's in my gut that this is no typical exhaustion. I would not at all be surprised that a hospital stay will be the Doctor's remedy. I hope a good night sleep will help but it won't fix things - I know she's running on empty now. Our oldest daughter being away isn't ideal either - I don't know why anyone decided her leaving for a week was a good idea....I suppose I know better then anyone how the family support unit works and leaving an exhausted mom who just closed a salon and household completely alone with the young kids was a recipe for disaster. Why does everyone have to put on a front of strength when they should be asking for help?.....of course that's only good when someone is there to help....

KerPlunk

2010-03-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

With two and one half weeks until my family arrives; excitment should be at an all time high. Sadly, it is anything but that. Turmoil exists back in Ontario. My own expectations as to how I thought things would finish up with my family staying with my parents have steered off course. I feel poweless being so far away. I have to think that if I were there, things would be different. I think it is impossible to measure how exhausted my wife is. She's closed up the salon and our household with three kids in tow; without a break. Her perception to everyone of her having incredible strength and resilience is working against her. I think no one realizes the incredible stress she's feeling and the degree of exhaustion she must be feeling. I think I also failed to realize my parents age and what they're capable of doing. As a child, I'm still having issues with that. My perception of them has caused this breakdown in my expectations and need to be re-thought. Yet, expectations mean nothing now. Tomorrow will no doubt bring new challenges.

Comma Rant

2010-03-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

The week has been incredibly draining. Pressure of the new job, the auction move, the auction, the move out, the move out into storage, the finding a place to live, the finding of a place to live until the place to live is ready, the tax returns, the tax return bill, the loss of two tools, the bill of replacing those two tools, an aircard that doesn't work, a laptop that doesn't always connect to the network, a vpn that needs a network connection in order for me to get my jobs and see the details of those jobs, a vpn that needs a network to connect to - to assist with locating sac boxes or jwi's or raised terminals or Central Offices, a laptop that doesn't connect to a network causing Skype to not work, or email, or msn, did I mention hearing of the daily stress of the young kids back home, missing my wife, family and friends, I suppose I should mention that I've been under a trailer, spelled m.o.b.i.l.e. h.o.m.e., each and every day this week, been up a pole on the edge of a mountain, have dirt underneath my nails and have run out of deoderant,....which I will go out and buy now...and just as this will righten itself, so will everything else ;)

OK Already

2010-03-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, I walk alone. No longer under the guidance of my trainer; I hit the job solo. Running. I'm not scared. I'm terrified! No, I'm looking forward to every minute of it! I lost my side cutters this week. I certainly don't want to get into the habit of losing tools; but I understand everyone does it. I'll have to hit the Lumber store nearby and pick up a new pair for ten bucks. Normally, I'd purchase at Canadian Tire, but this local store is selling them at a great price. Kelowna is a funny place. You remember how I talked about OK Pizza? Everything is OK here. We've got: OK Tires, OK Autos, OK College, OK Windsheild repairs, OK Trailer Hitches and more which I will share as I encounter them. I ask people here, "Why is everything just okay?" I'm told, "People are just humble here". I didn't buy my cutters at OK Tools, but I'm sure you were wondering. I don't like to promote or shop at Wal-Mart. Rimshot!

News back home is good. The movers are coming this week. The family has moved to the 'Rens. Everything is looking good. Tuesday, I'll be on pins and needles hoping for a good auction. I'd love to score some big bucks, but really I am excited about getting rid of that stuff. Nice furniture or not, it was time to go. It had nothing to do with who I am now. I can't wait to shop with my family for new stuff that will satisfy the 'who we are now' people. Also back home, I learned that my lifelong friend's book is having a third print run ordered. The Canadian Best Seller list is next!

Duck

2010-03-03T21:15:00.000-08:00

One more house to see, then decision time. I think I've found a great home already, but will visit one more to make sure. Might have to book the family into a resort for a short while while the house has finishing renovations (I'm leaning already towards the home I've already found) performed. I don't think my teenager is going to be happy with any part of this move until she "falls in love" with a boy out here. Then I'll be the best dad ever. The young ones are going to love it here. Parks, Water, Mountains, Fun. I know I won't need to apoligize to them. My wife is going to love it too. I've already planned a number of romantic dates and destinations for us. I really feel excited about hosting our loved ones here. I think everyone who visits from back east is going to really enjoy it here. I'm working every possible hour to polish up my training, as next week I will be flying solo so to speak. I'm ready to fly; heck I'm even planning a party.

Stop. Look. Think.

2010-02-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

It's the end of the month and the end of Olympic fever. I cannot say for sure how many times the service van was stopped today by happy drunken souls and young children wanting me to honk my horn in celebration of Canada's record setting Gold Medal tally and win in the men's hockey game. Everyone's spirits were raised and I could most tell by my service calls having little or no impact to the joy people were experiencing today. Whereas people are short or impatient as they've lost a sometimes vital service to their daily routine; today people just wanted to talk. Their ADSL or POTS didn't matter the same as it had earlier in the month. I would have to pity any cable techs today as they probably heard an earful. I've got one more week of ride-along, then I lose the 'safety net'. I'm very excited, too eager sometimes when I get to the job. To even this out I have coined my new phase which I have stickered in my van, 'S.L.T.'.

RU Serious

2010-02-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Ogopogo fun aside; I've been busting my hump here learning the job and trying to find suitable living quarters for my family. I might have finally been successful. I found a newly renovated home, with a central location, that might be perfect for our family. The landlord is now doing his due diligence and I feel very good that we might get this place. It's not one of the fancy mansions one might see in Upper Mission, but it will certainly be home to us. With walking distance to: a park, a main bus stop, schools and shopping plaza; what more could the average family with children and female teenager ask for?

For fun tonight and to celebrate a big breakthru at work; I ordered pizza. Pizza is a regular dinner for our family. I haven't had it since I relocated. I've been craving it, but wanted to hold off for a special occasion. Fine, today was the special occasion. I'd seen a pizza parlour named, 'OK Pizza' nearby. I said to myself, "'Okay Pizza'? R U kiddin me?" I just had to try this place out. I imagined their radio ad, as something like this:
Voice 1: Hey is that OK pizza?
Voice 2: Yeah, you want a piece?
Voice 1: sure! Voice 1 eats pizza
Voice 2: How was your pizza?
Voice 1: It was okay. How's your's?
Voice 2: Mine's, okay too.

Voiceover: OK Pizza, because okay is good.....or something like that.

Now, of course OK Pizza stands for Okanagan Pizza, but you don't see that on the sign - it reads OK Pizza. I will take a picture and post it for all of you non believers. The pizza was good; I had the tuscan.

Peachland, BC

2010-02-22T15:49:00.001-08:00

I visited the small community of Peachland; home of Rattlesnake Island and as legend is told, home of the lake monster Ogopogo. Native folklore specifically places the lair of the lake monster which they called N'ha-a-itk, or lake demon, at a cave under Squally Point near Rattlesnake Island which is offshore from Peachland. The Indians would never paddle a canoe near this area without an offering because quite often a storm would spring up and legend had it that N'ha-a-itk would rise out of the waters to claim another life. I positioned myself close to Squally Point and set up my camera. In what can only be described as amazing luck; the smooth glass-like water shifted to reveal something just below the surface. The distance of my video camera was unable to zoom in on this occurance, but luckily I came equiped with my DSLR. I was able to capture the sudden water movement and just as fast as it changed; the water returned to the placid state it began with.

I spoke with a few locals as to their thoughts of the Ogopogo legend and all that I spoke with claimed to have witnessed the monster themselves. A woman who works for the Peachland tourist centre was able to tell me her story in detail how back when she owned an area B&B; she was alerted by one of her visitors who would not turn away from a water facing front window. She approached the lad who appeared to be in a trancelike state and asked the lad what he saw. He replied, "Ogopogo". This woman looked for herself, since as a long time resident of the area, she had never seen the elusive lake monster. She saw the three black humps breaking the water and immediately alerted all the visitors of her B&B to witness the occurance. As she tells it, everyone who was a visitor that day confirmed the sighting.

Ogopogo Agenda

2010-02-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm visiting Peachland with camera in tow, hoping to spot the elusive lake monster, Ogopogo. As a child, I was fascinated by stories of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster; I had no idea before my arrival here, that Kelowna and surrounding Lake Okanagan towns had claim to a monster of their own. Keeping such a wonderful notion that a monster roams the lakes must be a "Canada thing". I have since learned that Ogopogo is quite a story out here, but has failed to make any sort of real interest back East....perhaps I'll find a way to change that...

Danger Avoided

2010-02-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

Turned down the house rental. The landlord seemed way too anal to have to deal with for one year. Lucky thing really, as immediately as I began a search, some wonderful properties surfaced. I will be visiting them in the next day or so. Two weeks have already passed and it's incredible to look back on what has been accomplished both here and back home. I'll fill you in soon;)

Giddy

2010-02-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

Fantastic day! Learned we received approval on the house. Movers of the auction house came and removed some large items and more that made my wife and toddler giddy with delight. I had an incredible day of learning on the job...it all really felt good! I stood outside this evening and looked up to the stars and thought how things were really coming together. I remember having this feeling years ago, when I first saw things getting really good for me. I thought that finally, my family will start leading a normal life; one where the focus will be on living rather than surviving. I even grinned to myself.

Tough Days

2010-02-17T21:49:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I learn if our home rental application was accepted or not. I don't know how many, if any, other applicants there are. Back in Ontario, things are very overwhelming. The family sounds like they are doing their best to ready things for the move, but they sure could use my help. Moving with an army's help is not easy and I hear the stress in the conversations I have with home. I hate being apart from them; I want to be there to help. My wife is strong and will have a plan to get it all done. That should not sound like it will be easy, it will far be it from that. It's great that we have some family who are working really hard at helping with our packing. I owe a great deal of thanks to my uncle who's made a number of trips to support my wife in these stressful times. Still, l'll be making it up to her for a great while after the move. I'll be setting the move date with the movers this week and that will give some relief...of an ending at least, to everyone back home. I see the next two weeks to be very difficult; it's the waiting for the movers and auctioneer amongst the mess, that will drive the family to the brink. After that, I hope with a pocket full of money from the auction and our stuff with the moving company; the family will get excited about the move and the new life we will be starting here together.

Basilosaurus Cetoides and House Hunting

2010-02-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Found a nice house today that might be where we transplant to. It's located in West Kelowna. It's a new development with schools, daycare and sport park nearby. What's nice is that it appears to be a family neighbourhood; low on the mountain and in the middle of everything. Downtown Kelowna minutes east and Lot's of amenities to satisfy everyone. We're hoping for a ranch style home, but that might not be possible as rentals of that style, well nice ones, are few. I'll be seeing inside this house tomorrow and checking out the neighbourhood fully.

I'm taking my first day off tomorrow; mainly to focus on the house rental, but feel generally rested and ready to keep working. I'm really enjoying the telcom field work and the technicians I've had the pleasure to ride along with.

I took a survey of Lake Okanagan. Apparently, they have a lake monster, Ogopogo. My first survey didn't result in a sighting, but I'm confident it won't be long. Ogopogo actually made "its" media debut long before the Loch Ness Monster. In 1926, seven years before Nessie's came to the public's attention, Roy W. Brown, editor of the Vancouver Sun, wrote, " Too many reputable people have seen [the monster] to ignore the seriousness of actual facts." While there are serious questions about whether there are non-retroactive Nessie sightings before 1930, but there are archival records of Ogopogo's existence going back to 1872 and sightings have been reported regularly up to the present.

The creature is most often described as being one to two feet in diameter with a length of 15 to 20 feet. The head has been described variously as being horse or goat-like. One oft-mentioned characteristic of the monster is its resemblance to a log.

Cryptozoologist Roy P. Mackal believes that there is a "small population of aquatic fish-eating animals residing in Lake Okanagan." Mackal initially assumed that the type of animal in Lake Okanagan was the same creature that he believed is in Loch Ness, but after a careful examination of the available data, he determined that the creature must be a form of primitive whale, Basilosaurus cetoides. "The general appearance of Basilosaurus tallies almost exactly with the loglike descriptions of the [Ogopogos]. Mackal spells out a detailed case for Ogopogo being a primitive whale in his book Searching for Hidden Animals.

Don't worry, I'll "log" my Ogopogo efforts here regularly.

On a side note, my son turned 8 months old today. I miss him dearly.

No Sync

2010-02-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

Work and health are great,but the disconnect from home is really difficult. Hearing my young daughter weep on the phone asking me to come home breaks my heart. I'm under alot of stress to make things happen here and equally so is my wife at home with the family. We shared a very brief, "Happy Valentine's Day", over the phone today and had planned to talk later, but obviously exhaustion from a trying day has sent my wife to sleep without the follow up call. Today, my eldest daughter was celebrating her 14th birthday. We had planned to set up the laptop at the table and I would Skype in to be a part of the celebration, but a network outage prevented that from happening. One stressful call into the telcom provider only resulted in learning that help would not be available until Tuesday with the Family Day holiday the reason. How ironic.

The Adventure Begins...

2010-02-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

...finally. Having safely arrived from Ontario; albeit a most dangerous drive from Vancouver late at night, I am settling in to my new surroundings. It was not without an adventure to start. My luggage did not board the same flight as I did. I learned it was held back until supervisor approval in Toronto to sign off/release it for flying. I had in my luggage some tools and a hairstyling kit that no doubt created a minor panic in the airport screening room. It ended up not being a very big deal as it was flown directly to Kelowna and delivered to my new place of residence before I even arrived in the city.

At the airport I was to be received by a work colleague, but instead was met by my brother and his finance. It was a wonderful surprise and the perfect bookend to my flight. In Toronto, I was delivered to the airport by my lifelong friend in only what I can describe as a surreal feeling. We have overcome distance by location in the past. As young boys we were separated by a 'surprise' move by my family, that I still maintain I had no idea was happening until my parents loaded me into the car to leave for our new home. I think I exercised the same protective nature at this moment, as I would not allow to fully express to myself the reality of the situation. I feel strongly this to be true, as I exercised the same trait just the evening before, when leaving my family to depart for the city. I can with honesty say, that still one week later into this adventure, I do not feel the actual distance that does now exist between me and my loved ones in Ontario. Certainly, having the World Wide Web to keep in touch will delay that feeling further.

I'm residing in a townhouse. I have a small room and a private bath. My housemates are rarely home and I appreciate the privacy. Work is my main focus here and I'm happy to not have the distraction. It's been years since I've had a roommate and it wasn't even so much of a roommate before, since I did have an entire suite to myself with only shared kitchen and laundry. I remember how quickly any interaction with the other person soured and I would listen for her to leave the house or go upstairs to her living space. I will not be here, in this room long as I am actively searching for a full residence for my family to join me April 1st. The rentals are just now being posted and I will include my search findings in this blog.

Yesterday I heard from my daughter, who is a toddler, for the first time since I've been away. She visited nana and papa with her baby brother for a small period so that my wife could tackle the huge task of settling our affairs in Ontario. I was immediately overcome with tears of joy and sadness. Hearing her voice on the phone trying to speak to me in broken language sunk my heart. I was quick to purchase a web cam so that she can see me on the 'television' which should go a long way to satisfying her during this period of 'separation'. I would by lying if this form of communication does not provide me some great satisfaction as well. Today, we did use the web cam and I was delighted to see my wife, my oldest daughter and my toddler. My son was sleeping and missed the call, but I will call tomorrow and let him see daddy.

I am training here in Telecom and am delighted to say that my trainer, manager and peers all seem to be good people. It has solidified to this point that this drastic change was the right thing to do. I am even more excited about this opportunity and wake every morning with optimism that the day is going to be successful.

I've had a few days to explore Kelowna and I must say, it is an intriguing place. Seeing it in winter, the acknowledged off season and finding it's beauty will only be more impressive when the Summer starts and the orchards and lakefront become vibrant. There's still much to explore, but for most things, I will wait to be joined by my family so that we may discover it together.

Stuff It

2010-01-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

The hardest thing about this move is not going to be the unknown of moving to another province, but deciding what to bring. Our stuff is like an anchor around our neck, weighing us down. Do we leave it all behind and replace it and buy new? Is this realistic? Would this expense sink us? Would keeping the stuff and incurring the huge cost of transporting it out there sink us? I'm and neither is my wife, too attached to the stuff; still it is our stuff. I'm waiting on some quotations from moving companies and we have set up an appointment with an auctioneer. I leave in one week and will need to make an informed decision by then. We're also planning on giving notice on our place in Ontario - with the fallback that if the family can't move in two months for financial reasons; they won't be kicked out into the cold but could keep our home until such time when we can afford to move. My infant son is playing in his exersaucer beside me. He's smiling at me...stuff doesn't matter to him.

Flight Booked

2010-01-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

Booked my flight and finalized my temporary dwelling today. Packing is 80% done. I'm sick of Ontario. Sick of the hardship my family and I have encountered here. It was all meaningful, all necessary to bring us to this position. On the horizon, it looks like the family will follow me in late March with a family dwelling slated for April 1st. My contact for my new job will meet me at the airport. I've learned he's a good friend of my brother, so I'm very much looking forward to meeting him. Along the way from Vancouver Airport; I will be excited to see the Oceanside and the Mountainside of my new home. Today, for the first time in many years, I experienced a genuine feeling of excitement regarding a new job. It was the same feeling I had years ago; in the beginning of my career in the Film Industry, when I landed my very first big job. Gaining the location detail for "Earth: Final Conflict", changed my life. Am I to embark on a similar journey? I hope so...

Timeline not in Stone

2010-01-05T19:06:00.000-08:00

I will not be arriving in Kelowna until late January. Until then, I am doing more of the same; preparing myself for this epic chapter. Prospects are looking very good and I am excited about documenting this experience. I hope to be able to write updates daily upon my arrival, but early followers of this blog should know not to expect any further updates until that time. I ask you to return later this month, to share in this unfolding adventure.

Leaving Ontario

2009-12-24T04:12:00.001-08:00

Not often can you see life's next chapter in front of you. Normally it is a realization that comes while you've already moved into it. I am in the enviable position at this time to recognize I am about to start my next great adventure.

I am busy deciding on what personal items I will be packing to remind me of the journey I've already taken. I have to put my life into two suitcases and wait for the rest to follow. The first few months will be tough without my family and comforts of home. I realize the huge task that has fallen upon my shoulders to provide a new home and well, life for my family.

I welcome the challenge...