What do I do...good question.

A few people have asked about my new job, what do I do, who am I working for, etc. So here's the tell all.

I am the Executive Director for the ______ ______ Tr4ining ______. (Excuse the spelling mistakes in the next couple of paragraphs, I wanted to use words that wouldn't be picked up in google.) We are a not-for-profit group set up to train Inuit for positions in the off-shore fisherie2 in Nunavut. I have two staff, three for the next couple of months. And between us we will be visiting all the communities here in Nunavut to recruit students, organize the offering of the courses and all that that entails.

I am responsible for the daily running of the organization. Finances. Staffing. Policies. You name it. But I report to a Board of Directors. That has its challenges.
Today marks the end of our three day Annua1 Genera1 Meeting. It was an exhausting couple of days. In the previous two years no one had developed any policy and procedures manuals or governance manuals for the organization. So I have been working hard the past couple of months to get that done in time for the AGM.

The first course that has been offered since I came on board started last week. This Friday I will escort the class down to St. John's where they will finish the last two weeks of their course. I will be back in two weeks to escort them back to Iqaluit. It's exciting to be back in the academic world again.

I keep telling people that I know up here that I have a bigger job, but less stress. Working for He3lth and Socia1 Services was more stressful than my present position anyone who has worked for a HSS department (anywhere in the world) can understand that statement. I have opportunities that I wouldn't get in government. Yes, I only supervise two staff, but I am also responsible for all the students that we train and the instructors brought up on our behalf. The entire project has a $5.4 million budget...now if I was in government I'd need to be a lot older before I'd get that kind budget responsibility.

I have had to give up a number of things moving from govern3ent, but I think the work experience will more than make up for that in the long run. Deputy Minister spot...here I come!

Got the phone call last night that my second suitcase has found its way back to Iqaluit. On the return from Vancouver I arrived back without both of my suitcases...no biggie. The first one showed up on Monday and the second one arrived last night...just in time to be packed for my next trip on Friday.

I have been attending/hosting the AGM (Annual General Meeting) for work the past few days and have been coming home only to drop at the end of the day...a real blog update to follow later this week.

North of Nain is back in the North.

After a quick trip to Vancouver for meetings I arrived back in town safe and sound this afternoon....sans luggage. Vancouver has had some pretty wacky weather over the past few weeks but I won't complain. I enjoyed sunshine at temperatures between 8-11 degrees. I wore a skirt. Twice. No parka required, no gloves, hat, scarf or boots.

Had a fantastic time though I'd never want to live there. No subway system in a city that size is insane. I did enjoy some terrific East Indian, Japanese and Chinese food. I even won $40 at the casino.

And the flowers....wow. There was a lady on one of the corners downtown selling tulips, 2 bunches for $4.99. I grabbed 4 bunches and they lived in my ice bucket. Aren't they absolutely gorgeous?





Sunrise from my room Friday morning. I was up every morning to see the sunrise...funny how my body decided to stay on Iqaluit time and I awoke at around 4am every morning. A short nap and then I'd head out for breakfast and meetings.




Views from my hotel room. There are advantages to being from the North when checking into nice hotels. The wonderful lady at the front desk gave me a room with a view when I told her where I'd travelled from...thanks.



Look. A mountain in the background. Did you know that the mountains around Vancouver have large numbers of trees on them. Yep. It's true. I saw them.



Of course getting up at 4am means that I was crashing early in the evening. But the view at night was worth staying up for as well.

Happy Anniversary. Happy Anniversay. Happy Anniversary. Happppppppy Anniversary!

Yes folks, North of Nain has officially survived one year in the North! Some said it couldn't be done...but I proved them wrong. I just read through the posts from my first week last year...I'm still as excited and happy to be here now as I was then. Isn't that great?

No plans on when I will be moving South for good. My current contract goes to March 31, 2009 which is just over 2 years from now. I heard about an interesting one-year position in Pangnirtung that will be coming up that year...but you never know.

Here are a few pictures taken last week before the blizzard hit. I think of it as the calm before the storm.

Just the sky. I thought it looked interesting. This blue is pretty typical for up here. The colder the weather the bluer the sky. Who wouldn't like that.


Ice formations across the bay from Iqaluit.


Looking out the bay in a South-West direction. Taken at around 12noon on Saturday.


Tiggy always likes to pose for the camera. This was taken on the Road to Nowhere Saturday morning. We went on three seperate walks Saturday all within the span of an hour. The dogs loved it and the picture taking was good too.



More of the sky and scenery from Saturday.


Happy Anniversary. Happy Anniversary. Happy Anniversary. Happppppppy Anniversary. With any luck I will celebrate my one year North of Nain in Ottawa on route to Vancouver...let's hope the winds die down and I get out.

I wrote all that last night before I went to bed in the hopes that I'd be busy running around this am getting ready for my trip. All flights have been cancelled or delayed until at least 11am. The chances of getting out today are slim. Sigh.

We are experiencing blizzard conditions today here in Iqaluit. Oh sure, a day off...except that it is Sunday. Sigh.

Because I have been sitting around for most of the day doing nothing but read I thought I'd be productive and answer some 'fan mail' lol...well...I'll at least try to answer some of Stacey's questions.

1) Many online shopping sites won't ship to certain areas or have exaggerated shipping fees to same. Is that the case where you are?

Yes. Some companies used to offer free shipping, but have discontinued it to any location North of 60. But a few still offer free shippping...thank you Chapters. Sears charges to ship things to Nunavut, and if you are familiar with Sears this seems very unfair.

Another issue is mailing addresses. There are no courier services here in town so when someone requires a street address it can get tricky. The roads here in Iqaluit are all now named and every building has a number on it...but it doesn't mean anything to the post office who only knows you by your PO Box. In Pangnirtung it didn't matter...the default address we used was 123 Polar Bear Lane...with so few people in town the post office knew which box to put the parcel in. I always ask if they can put my PO Box on the label along with my street address.

2) With the exception of Xmas trees, which you already commented on, are things (groceries, cold weather gear, etc.), say, in the local store(s) more expensive than at home?

Definitely, but it's funny how quickly one adjusts. I have one of my grocery bills here...This will be a long answer...I like to shop....
chicken thighs (about 10 or 12) $20.57
asparagus $18.99kg
2lb of carrots $3.35
no name bagels (6) $3.65
tomatoes $9.99kg (1kg = 2.2lbs)
half cup of fresh blueberries $3.99
loose mini-potatoes $3.99/kg
1L chocolate milk $4.19
355ml (can) of diet pepsi $1.46
fresh lobster $36.99kg
laundry soap, big box, $40+

The 15 pound turkey we had for Christmas dinner was about $60.00.

My grocery bill is somewhere between $75 and $175 a week. Depends on what I need that week and what they have. It is not uncommon for stores to run out of items during the week while waiting for the next shipment to come in. When was the last time you went to the grocery store and they didn't have milk...or meat...or eggs...or bread. It happens quite often that they run out of items, but usually not everything at once.

Coming on this time of year there will be items that sell out and the store won't re-order until sea-lift time. Which is why I always say "If you see something you really like. Buy it. And buy as much of it as you can because it won't be there the next time you shop." This comes true more often then you would think.

As for clothes...well, I haven't really bought much here to be honest. The selection is terrible and the sizes are not meant for someone of my stature. Certainly you can get the basics. I saw a pair of black dress pants for $69.99 the other day, hanging next to a pair for $24.99. Both were so cheap I'm sure even Walmart wouldn't carry them. On average I would say add about 30-40% to costs for clothes up North. And there are no 'clothing stores.'

The cost of other items seems to be rather hit and miss. Because of the cost of shippping, heavier items tend to be more expensive irregardless of the actual value of the item.

3) What is the TV reception like? Do you need a satellite disk? do you have one? Is there a local TV station? What's it like?

I have cable. The reception is great. There is only one cable company in town and they provide pretty good service. I had cable hooked up before my phone. :) Cable comes into Iqaluit through satellite, but then the entire town is hard wired for cable, though some people have satellite.

There are a couple of local stations. One is for TV Bingo. The other shows job ads, and ads for local businesses. CBC provides Northern news, but it is on Mountain Standard time...so instead of 6pm news I get 8pm news and the first half isn't in English...so I rely on CBC radio and website for my news. BTW, I'm a CBC junkie.

4) Is there cable TV? Tivo service? If so, what happens when your cable box breaks?

I'm not entirely sure what Tivo is...there, I admit it. But I'm pretty sure we don't have it. I hope the cable never goes out...but I'd do the same thing you do when the cable goes out...call, complain and then sit and mope with the tv on and fuzz in the background.

5) How's your new job?

I love it. I am so glad I made the leap from goverment. It is using all my skills (and a few I don't have), each day has new challenges and I feel competent and on the ball. I'll be doing a lot of travel the next few months which will be great and because I'm the boss, so to speak, I can pick and choose which trips I go on.

6) How do you start your truck in such cold weather?

Put foot on brake. Put foot on clutch. Ensure truck is in first gear or neutral, insert key, turn. Truck turns on.

I plug it in. It has been plugged in since the beginning of December. Around -20 to -25 is a good time to start plugging it in. The battery has a blanket around it and so does the radiator. They use synthetic lubricants in the engine as they stay more fluid in cold conditions. I'm not so great with letting the truck warm up as much as I should. Some people say 10 minutes before driving. I generally give it 3-5. More if I have time...but I won't turn it off if I'm going to the post office or bank or even into the grocery store for a couple minutes.

When the temperature really dips it doesn't take long for the battery to die and when you take short trips it really doesn't take long. Most offices have spaces for employees to plug in their vehicle while at work.

7) Is there a library? A newspaper? A video rental service? What do you do when you're bored?

I just went to the library for the first time last week. They have an ok selection, but carry cd's, video, magazines, etc. just like any other library. There are two newspapers in town. Weekly not daily. They are territory wide and keep me current. Half the paper is in English, half in Inuktitut....including the ads. You can read one of them on line...this is the free one, Nunatsiaq News. There are two places in town to rent videos...actually a few more if you count a couple of convience stores. And there is a movie theatre in town...two screens.

When I'm bored. I surf the net.


8) Have you looked into Skype for talking to folks at home? It's a lot less expensive than the telephone. (I use it-- it's great)

I have thought about Skype. I know people in Pangnirtung who used it....it's ok, but with everything coming in on satellites there is often a bad delay. Sometimes picture but no sound, sound but no picture. I'm not sure if my family is techy enough for that yet. My parent's have an unlimited long-distance plan so they call me back.

Thanks Stacey. Hoped I answered your questions....now, Captain Canuck...

"You've mentioned caribou, but the blubber question has me wondering: are there any local delicacies in terms of food? The northern equivalent of "cow's tongue" (a relatively rare dish back on PEI)"

I'm not really a good one to ask about this. I haven't been to a community feast yet...but I'm going soon. Seal, whale, caribou, musk-ox, char are all pretty common. They are what we call 'country foods'. Foods that can be caught/killed out on the land and not in the grocery store. Birds are fair game, though I don't know anyone who eats raven. Muktuq, is a local favourite--skin and fat of a narwhal cut into small cubes and eaten. Yes, a lot of country food is eaten raw, right out on the land as soon as it is killed.

Most of the folks I know, Inuit or not, had turkey for Christmas.

I love char. It's kinda like salmon, but without the strong salmon flavour. I know a few people who make sushi with it, I prefer mine cooked. Of course caribou is a fav of mine as well...man I would love to get some more for my freezer. Of course, I really like the Chinese food at the hotel in town.

According to the folks back home the last few entries have been a little...boring. Well, that's my life. I lead a very quiet life here in Iqaluit...I lead a quiet life in PEI too. Now that I have been up North for almost a full year it is becoming more difficult to find things to share with you. Perhaps if anyone has a question about living up North they could post it and I will do my best to answer it.



Let me start off with the answers to a few questions I have heard...

Q. Does everyone live in igloos?
A. Yes, but I get such fantastic internet and cell phone reception from my snow hut that I can't complain. And cleaning is so easy. Just melt the room and add on another.

Q. Do you eat whale blubber?
A. I don't like to eat beef blubber, why would I want to eat the fat off a whale? And it's not like I can pick it up at the convience store...you have to get your own.

Q. Do you get paid in Canadian dollars?
A. Nope, Mexican pesos. I just finished negotiating a new contract, next year I will be paid in fox pelts that I will trade at the local Hudson Bay store for flour, sugar and any other supplies I need. Technically Nunavut is a part of Canada. I know for those of you living outside of Toronto it might be hard to grasp that Nunavut is still part of Canada...but it is.



Q. Is it really cold there?
A. Define cold. The last time I was in St. John's, Newfoundland it was +6 degrees and I shivered the entire time. Today I ran out to the garbage bin without a jacket and it was -32...no shivering.

Q. Why haven't you taken any pictures of penguins to post on the blog?
A. I haven't been to Antartica yet. I did however see the movie March of the Penguins.

Q. Why did you move to Nunavut?
A. Because the chicken crossed the road. Why did you move to ___(insert name of your town here)___? Would you ask someone why they moved to Halifax? I don't think so. Is it so crazy to want to live in another part of the country? I had dog tags made up before I left PEI last year. On one it says, "Because I am not afraid." On the other, "Why are you?"



Sunset photo taken at about 2:45pm on January 18th--Road to Nowhere, Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. Eh.

Sometimes I like to challenge myself.

Sometimes it might not be the smartest thing to do. Like today.

My challenge...I walked to work. Now that might not seem like a big challenge to you, but hold your judgement for a minute. Yes, I can see my building from the office, and yes, it takes no more than five minutes to walk to work, and yes, I do drive fairly often...but somedays I like to challenge Mother Nature and I walk.

It takes at least ten minutes to warm up the truck sufficiently to drive under these extreme conditions. It takes about a minute to drive to work. I feel lazy when I drive, but if I need to run errands or pick up the mail driving becomes a necessary evil...and a welcome one at that.

Why you are asking, if you have bothered to read this far, was it such a challenge to walk to work? Because of the temperatures. Here's some information from the Environment Canada website: Once the wind chill makes the temperature feel like –28 or colder, exposed skin can freeze in under 30 minutes. When it drops to –40, frostbite can occur in less than 10 minutes. Take it to –55, and you're in danger within two minutes. Anything colder than that and Environment Canada warns you shouldn't go outside at all. See article.

It seems pretty obvious that no one from Environment Canada lives in Nunavut or they wouldn't have been at work today. Slight exageration...this morning when I set off to work it was -31, -46 with the wind chill. The wind chill has hovered around -49 for most of the day. (That's -56F for my American readers.) And that my friends and family is why it was a challenge to walk to work.

Yes, I wore my parka, and hat, and gloves. No, I didn't wear my winter boots...but I did wear my nice Harley Davidson boots...they are plenty warm for short trips. The only part of me that gets cold is my thighs...and when walking directly into the wind I can really feel them start to tingle. I start to question the sanity of my decision to walk when the tingling starts during the less than five minute walk, but I can guarantee that I will do it again...and again many times over the next few months. I love the challenge and it makes me feel like I am conquering nature.

Did you challenge yourself today?

Before the snow...


After the snow...

Picture of the waterfalls in Sylvie Grinnel Park just on the outskirts of town.


What a great day to be out and enjoying the winter. L and I spent about an hour toboganning down the various hills around the falls. We had a blast....like two little kids...and the dogs had fun too. They would run beside us and try to slow us down. The temp for those of you who might like to know around -23 with ice crystals in the air...think really, really tiny snowflakes.




It's a bird. It's a plane...It's a frickin huge plane....it's the Airbus 380.


I love the dogsled team just in front of the fence...old technology vs airbus 380 new technology...


We watched it take off and land a couple of times today. It is surprisingly quiet for the size. While the Airbus doesn't seem to be making headlines this year it is still pretty impressive to see. It towers over everything else around it....planes, the terminal...people. It seems that this year it has been cold enough for the cold flight testing of the plane. I will have to take a ride on it someday...how cool would that be?

If you read the end of the post below this one...I'm being sarcastic...I don't mind...it's just one of those things that one deals with when living North of 60.

In 12 days I will be celebrating my one year anniversary North of 60. It seems hard to believe how fast the year has gone. Of course I will be celebrating in Ottawa...that seems about right. I will actually be on my way to Vancouver and I can't wait. The last time I was in Vancouver was for Expo '86. When I think about that I feel old...that was 20 years ago.

I'll be in Vancouver two days for meetings and then back up North. I catch a red-eye out of Vancouver land in Toronto, fly to Ottawa and then up to Iqaluit. I think I'm going to be tired that night.

It is hard for people in the South to realize how difficult air travel in the North can be. I need to go to Cambridge Bay next month for work. I will leave on a Monday and return the following Monday. That's the best I can do. I need to over-night in Yellowknife each way...two nights on the return portion. And that's travel within the territory...only I go out of territory to get there. The cost of my ticket...just over $2000. The cost of my ticket to Vancouver, $2500. If you were in Halifax how far could you travel for $2500?

There is a seat sale on right now for travel with First Air...yeah...those are sale prices. A return ticket to Ottawa is generally around $1600. On sale you can get it for $1250. Yep...big savings. It's no surprise that everyone tries to use points tickets to get out of the North. For $1500 I could have a 7 day all expenses paid trip to Cuba. Or I could go to Ottawa and need to shell out money for hotel, food and drink. Hmmm. Someone remind me why I'm living up here....

January 2007



Just a few odd photos taken today on a walk out the Road to Nowhere.



Yes, we have snow...but certainly not a lot of it as you can see.



It was warm...-19, but that means cloudy weather. I could have gone for -25 and sun...but you can't always get what you want.



It is hard to take good photos of just the snow on days like this. Actually, it was hard walking at one point. One the actual road, the drifts blended in so well with the snow on the road that we literally walked into and fell over a few cause we couldn't see them.




Do you ever wonder how long some of the groceries in your cupboard have been there? I'm starting to realize how long we keep things around. Take for instance the spices in my cupboard. Most of them arrived with me a year ago...how long did I have them before I left PEI? I have no idea. I started to go through my cupboards examining every can, box and bottle I had...how many of these had I brought with me from PEI and how long should I keep them? According to one website I found, two years..."How long can I keep canned goods in the cupboard? Most canned foods will keep for up to two years." http://www.wegmans.com/guest/FAQ/product_information.asp

Saw this test on another blog...had to do it...apparently I am a geek...hmmm. I didn't know that before. Link at bottom for you to take the test.

The Geek You scored 45 anxiety, 71 awkwardness, and 63 neuroticism!

You stick out like a sore thumb, with your social awkwardness and mildly neurotic behaviors--but you don't let it get you down! You are The Geek, and are here to prove that people who know the first 1000 digits of pi and try to woo dates by talking about calculators can be happy too! You have friends...and they are probably just as odd as you. Your low anxiety score implies that you are able to relax, can enjoy the here and now, and have a healthy amount of self-confidence. Your high awkwardness score implies that you are socially inept, probably stick out from the crowd, and perhaps feel uncomfortable in large groups of people, such as at parties. Your high neuroticism score implies that you exhibit neurotic behaviors--probably fanatic obsessions, counting compulsions, or other geekish tendencies. You may know every word to LOTR, or draw anime of all your friends. __ See the other results! Well-Adjusted The Neat Freak The Dork The Geek Phobic Obsessive-Compulsive The Subtle Neurotic The True Neurotic

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on anxiety You scored higher than 99% on awkwardness You scored higher than 99% on neuroticism

Link: The Neurotic Test written by littlelostsnail on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Baby it's hot inside

What's wrong with this picture? I live in the Arctic. It is -17 outside right now. It is +25 in my apartment. I have had the outside door to my apartment open since 6pm this evening and it isn't getting cooler. Last night I slept in the living room with the door open and it didn't cool off. I am so glad I am not paying the heat bill for this place.

We decided the other night that part of my problem is the heat from the units around me...but I don't know. If it doesn't cool down in here by tomorrow night I'll have to contact the landlord. Can you imagine anyone in the North complaining about the heat? LOL...I can. Happens all the time.

In fact, when a lot of people from up North travel to the South they find it too hot (during the summer) and many won't take vacation during the hot months and only go South when it is cooler. Imagine that.

Happy New Year

Yep it is offically 2007. Made it through 2006. What a year for adventures.

I'm confident that 2007 will bring just as many so stay tuned.

Later this month I'll be hosting a "I survived one year in the North" party. Everyone is welcome to attend...not sure the date yet, that will depend on my work schedule, but I'll keep you posted.

For those who asked...no, I did not do a polar bear dip this year. There is no open water and the bay is frozen from top to bottom...so even if you cut a hole there wouldn't be any water for a quick chilly dip.