Getting colder...
Hello everyone!
When I wrote you last, I was on a brief layover before leaving again for some of the southern provinces (I have now been home for a personal record of two weeks). I spent a significant amount of time in airports and hotels to the point that I sometimes catch myself looking for liquids and gels when I pack my briefcase to go to work in the morning for fear that the airport security will confiscate them (yes, I have a briefcase now).
Air travel in the north is actually quite luxurious compared to the south. The airlines in most of the territories are owned by the Inuit nations, and the Inuit seem to know how to make someone comfortable. When I compare Air Canada’s “Pretzel Mix” packet on the flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver with the teriyaki chicken dinner I get on Canadian North for a flight that is half the duration, a little part of my soul dies, and the rest of my soul cries out for northern hospitality.
But now I am done with planes until Christmas. The catch, of course, is that I am back in Yellowknife, and it is getting cold. The rains that have been flooding BC the past few weeks have translated into almost a foot of snow up here in the north. Believe it or not, it is not actually that common to get lots of snow all at once in Yellowknife. Typically, it slowly builds up over the course of the winter (it is never warm enough to melt, and simply blows around from one side of town to the other). The lake outside my apartment has frozen over, and the snowmobiles are out in force.
One thing I will say about the cold is that it is never as bad as you think it will be, especially if you have the right equipment. I’ve invested in a scarf and decent mitts, (thank-you to Nienke for the toque!), and the 15 minute walk to work is definitely tolerable. The cold weather has also allowed me to indulge in a secret passion I have for long underwear. I have not resorted to wearing a full-length thermal suit yet, but it is certainly tempting.
Unfortunately it is getting darker out; it is just barely sunrise when I leave for work in the morning, and it is definitely dark when I go back home. It makes daylight savings seems like a silly concept to me. Within a week of the changeover, it is so dark that you barely notice. Yet that switch is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Before that weekend, you can pretend that it is not quite winter; but after, there is no denying that it is getting dark.
Work has been interesting. The day after I got home, I found myself counting a few million dollars in uncut diamonds here in Yellowknife. It turns out that uncut diamonds actually just look like chunks of rock salt when they are not polished. The next question people usually ask is whether I took any. Given that I no longer need to get a diamond ring, I figured it was better to not test the security of the facility and the ensuing headaches. I will say that after examining 9ct diamonds, I am surprised that Jen accepted the one I presented (though a rock the size of a grape is hardly practical for a teacher’s finger).
The next week, I was shivering in a walk-in meat freezer.
Counting diamonds one week and frozen turkeys the next. They didn’t really cover these topics in my auditing class.
Well, this is by far the most I have written about nothing. So, with that I will say goodnight.
Some random pictures for you:
This is the auditor's natural habitat. You can see from the remains on the table what the auditor's diet consists of.
The smaller planes in the north often have writing on the insides of the pull-down blinds. I've started collecting pictures of them. Here are a couple.
(I especially like the warning that the seat I was sitting in was previously "barfed on")
I will try to get some better pictures for next time.
When I wrote you last, I was on a brief layover before leaving again for some of the southern provinces (I have now been home for a personal record of two weeks). I spent a significant amount of time in airports and hotels to the point that I sometimes catch myself looking for liquids and gels when I pack my briefcase to go to work in the morning for fear that the airport security will confiscate them (yes, I have a briefcase now).
Air travel in the north is actually quite luxurious compared to the south. The airlines in most of the territories are owned by the Inuit nations, and the Inuit seem to know how to make someone comfortable. When I compare Air Canada’s “Pretzel Mix” packet on the flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver with the teriyaki chicken dinner I get on Canadian North for a flight that is half the duration, a little part of my soul dies, and the rest of my soul cries out for northern hospitality.
But now I am done with planes until Christmas. The catch, of course, is that I am back in Yellowknife, and it is getting cold. The rains that have been flooding BC the past few weeks have translated into almost a foot of snow up here in the north. Believe it or not, it is not actually that common to get lots of snow all at once in Yellowknife. Typically, it slowly builds up over the course of the winter (it is never warm enough to melt, and simply blows around from one side of town to the other). The lake outside my apartment has frozen over, and the snowmobiles are out in force.
One thing I will say about the cold is that it is never as bad as you think it will be, especially if you have the right equipment. I’ve invested in a scarf and decent mitts, (thank-you to Nienke for the toque!), and the 15 minute walk to work is definitely tolerable. The cold weather has also allowed me to indulge in a secret passion I have for long underwear. I have not resorted to wearing a full-length thermal suit yet, but it is certainly tempting.
Unfortunately it is getting darker out; it is just barely sunrise when I leave for work in the morning, and it is definitely dark when I go back home. It makes daylight savings seems like a silly concept to me. Within a week of the changeover, it is so dark that you barely notice. Yet that switch is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Before that weekend, you can pretend that it is not quite winter; but after, there is no denying that it is getting dark.
Work has been interesting. The day after I got home, I found myself counting a few million dollars in uncut diamonds here in Yellowknife. It turns out that uncut diamonds actually just look like chunks of rock salt when they are not polished. The next question people usually ask is whether I took any. Given that I no longer need to get a diamond ring, I figured it was better to not test the security of the facility and the ensuing headaches. I will say that after examining 9ct diamonds, I am surprised that Jen accepted the one I presented (though a rock the size of a grape is hardly practical for a teacher’s finger).
The next week, I was shivering in a walk-in meat freezer.
Counting diamonds one week and frozen turkeys the next. They didn’t really cover these topics in my auditing class.
Well, this is by far the most I have written about nothing. So, with that I will say goodnight.
Some random pictures for you:
This is the auditor's natural habitat. You can see from the remains on the table what the auditor's diet consists of.
The smaller planes in the north often have writing on the insides of the pull-down blinds. I've started collecting pictures of them. Here are a couple.
(I especially like the warning that the seat I was sitting in was previously "barfed on")
I will try to get some better pictures for next time.
posted by Byron at 9:08 PM
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