Billy Bishop

Late yesterday afternoon, Vic and Colleen invited me along to see a one-man play, Billy Bishop Goes To War, up in North Rustico at the Montgomery Theatre. They were surprised at my ready acceptance (I have to be in a rare frame of mind to do things at the last minute, in part due to the burden of being an aspiring athlete and musician).

When we showed up at the place, things looked bleak. The theater is a renovated barn, and no one was there but us and 5 crew members. Yikes.

However, the place filled up over time and it was a delightful evening.

As background, note that Billy Bishop was the leading ace of World War I for Canada, and arguably for the British empire.

The play is his reminiscences from a retirement home in Florida in the 1950s. It was great! The show was a contrast: the stage had little more than a chair, relying on the actor to create a world in our imaginations; yet, on the backing wall, various film footage was occasionally shown.

Despite our shaky start, it was a terrific outing.... A big thumbs-up.

September

It seems that September has always been my new year. As I've probably blogged before, I remember the nervous excitement of the first day of school, replete with new sneakers, clothes, and supplies.

I even like the word: September. It is 2nd only to my birth month as an aesthetically pleasing collection of letters and sounds.

So, it is fitting that September is the first month where I'm really 'at home' here on PEI. I'm in my own place and not surrounded by boxes. I'm starting to find my rhythm again. e.g. I ran 10 km on Saturday and then went to a 5 km event this morning.

Even more interesting is that if I were still in Saint Louis, I would be making a trip to Detroit this week, for visa reasons. So long, Detroit! I'm grateful for the chance to work in the USA, but I won't miss that stress and hassle.

Happy New Year, everyone.....

a link through history

Two unique articles came across the transom in the last few days. I thought there was an interesting "link" between them.

Quote 1

This little town (Charlottetown) is cut off from the world in an aggravating way.

The coast of Nova Scotia is in plain view along most of the southern coast of Prince Edward Island, but the transfer by boat from Pictou takes three hours...

from this article, in 1896

Quote 2

During MacLachlin's decade as CEO [sic], UPEI has also seen its international enrolment quadruple to 500 students, about 12 per cent of its registration.

Would those world-class researchers, and all those foreign students, be on the island without the Confederation Bridge? These are not people who wait for the ferry.

from this article in the Montreal Gazette

Weekend

This is a late wrap-up for a weekend, but here goes:

Halifax

My cousin R and I drove to Halifax, to see R's brother K. K has a wife and baby daughter (who I hadn't met).

With a quick equipment pick-up from Binky (which was a fun mini-visit), we were a cargo-carrying convoy to NS. Just a day trip but well worth it. I had burned some "Onion radio" snippets for the ride, which R found to be absurd and humorous. (In another post, I might test the waters with an idea that merges satire and PEI.)

Lots of thoughts on the day... K is the youngest of our generation, so it is pretty neat to see K as a father. They have a lovely spot and cooked mussels and burgers for lunch. Since R and I are both feral dogs, we were grateful.

I was blown away by how much water there is in the Halifax area. Not just the big harbour but all the inlets, channels, and lakes. I later read on Wikipedia that the coast is very jagged. Neat stuff.

The infant is a cutie. A happy baby, she hardly made a fuss and just watched us. A fun game was slapping a hand on the coffee table, always near by as we are still getting our sea legs. Really great trip.

York Point

On Sunday, I caught up with two old friends. P, K, and I go way back to the playpen. I often mention that I was MC at P and T's wedding in 2001. (He and K are cousins, and K's house is next-door to ours, though about 3/4 mile of fields in between).

I don't remember the last time we were all together. I've seen P often, but I think it was at Christmas near 2002 or 2003 for three of us. Anyway, plenty of catching up...

P has two girls now (adorable in their own right). I haven't met K's daughter yet but thanks to Facebook, I can see the family pics.

Skype

As mentioned, I later used to Skype to video-chat with Miss G in Boston and Vic here on PEI. Video-chat is simply astonishing, though as Vic points out, I waited until I was just 25 miles away from him before I got on the bandwagon, missing out on 10+ years in Saint Louis.

Skype: I've reached 2004

I had a very full, fantastic weekend with dear family and friends, but the main update for now is that I just installed Skype.

Many readers will have already gone through the amazement, but I'm just getting onboard now. I just finished a video chat with a friend in Boston.

It is unbelievable! Free for Skype-to-Skype and $0.02 per minute to a phone! I knew all this, of course, but sometimes you just don't understand the neat-o factor until you go through it yourself.

EDIT: I've also Skyped with Vic, just tonight. He pointed out the irony of us using Skype now that I am back on PEI, about 30 miles away from his house. Point taken, mate, point taken.

So Long Cell

My 314 cell account is officially terminated. That phone (shown here) is 7 years old, and served me well. It has been to 4-5 different countries.

I don't have a new phone yet. There is no harm in calling my parents, though email is probably fastest. I do have a temporary cell so just write if you would like that number.

Sorry for the inconvenience!
CC

The Big City

Here is a fun fact: I've never actually lived in Charlottetown, the capital city, before.

I was extremely serious about school and lived with my parents right through undergraduate, then left for Waterloo (with some brief interludes in an apartment).

Now, living "in town" is very interesting, as the moving chaos is subsiding. Having things within walking distance is a big plus. I enjoy looking at the houses and the various buildings. All the street names are familiar, but not as my neighbourhood: in the old days, they were always merely means to a destination.

Synchronicity

Here are some events since I've returned:

My farewell post on the tech blog quoted Frank Ledwell. My farewell post on this blog quoted Sarah MacLaughlin. On PEI, I went to a storytelling night in honour of Frank. His grand-nephew read from the same book I quoted, and on the drive the Sarah M song came on the radio.

Before leaving, I purchased a tech book in Saint Louis. It had a bird on the cover. On PEI, I discovered that cormorants had taken over an abandoned bridge. I then checked my book: the bird was a cormorant.

I had an appointment with the cable guy the other day. As it turned out, he was in French Immersion with me from grades 1 through 6. This is not a typical schoolmate run-in: we were all in the same classroom for years.

I went to an acoustic music festival in Kansas, in 2003. I have a t-shirt from the weekend. Last night, I went to see Don Ross, a Canadian guitarist. Upon checking out his Wikipedia article beforehand, I discovered that he is the only person to have won top prize twice (in 1988 and 1996) at the same festival. I wore the shirt to the show, though it was impossibly wrinkled from being in a box for 7 weeks.

First Night

This is my first night at the new place! About 7 weeks since I landed back on the Island.

I'm very grateful for my family for letting me stay with them. It went better than I could have imagined, esp. considering it went longer than expected.

Interestingly, I happen to know that it is Miss G's first night at the new place in Boston. She and I have been sharing stories about our respective places.

I've let the grind of the past couple of weeks distract me from my original goals when I returned. The next post (in coming days) will remind me of my dreams for the return, and serve to get me going again.

CC

Life Update

Though a lot of this is on Twitter and Facebook, here is a quick update from the CC newsdesk:

• I'm 90% moved and about 20% unpacked. There were some delays with respect to the apartment maintenance, but yesterday was a good day. I haven't stayed there yet but probably early this week.
• I'm giving Allied a grade of 'B-'. The delays were crazy but at least my stuff made it, seemingly unharmed.
• I've booked a trip to Saint Louis! I'm attending a conference in mid-October. I really wanted to go back for my birthday or Halloween, but the conference is too good to pass up.
• Next weekend is an annual family gathering on my Dad's side. Looking forward to seeing everyone....

A Pint is Popular in Poplar Point

"Save Bear! Save Bear!", the children yell from inside the cottage. Quick to act, our hero sprints toward a black dog laying on the grass. A rare funnel cloud of mosquitoes swarm down on her. She whines softly, only able to raise her head as the mini vampires feed.

"Gnaaaaaah," our hero grunts, as he lifts the weakened dog into his arms. Ignoring the probing bites of the insects, he shuffles towards the safety of the screen door, bursting into the cottage to the cheers of his happy hosts... The evening is saved! They can return to the quiet beauty of a serene sunset.

I recently spent an evening with V and C, at their cottage at Poplar Point. What a beautiful setting! Though I joked about donating a pint of blood (see title) to the local insect population, the bugs weren't too bad. Certainly worth the spectacular view of watching the sunset, with the shadows looming across the hay bales on the rolling hills, and the lapping water at the wharf. The jagged coastline of The Island has many 'points'. Poplar Point juts into a large inlet from the Northumberland Strait: the Boughton River. The local wharf is on this water. Oyster and mussel fishermen quietly ply their trade a few hundred metres out.

V and C had already eaten, but having arrived from work, I dined on a salad made from homegrown vegetables. Outstanding stuff. I was reminded that lettuce actually has flavour.

We hung out and told stories as the light faded into night. It was just another summer evening on The Island. That is to say: perfect.

By the way, the cottage is for available for rent: check out the website here.

CC

Stuff

My stuff did arrive on Thursday! Everything went smoothly. I haven't opened any boxes yet (pending the local move) but so far, it seems like everything is in good condition.

It is unclear when I will truly be into the new place. Possibly Monday but more likely, there will be several runs throughout the week.

Moving Update

They are arriving Thursday afternoon!

This is good news.

CC

Cell Service?

Can any Islanders weigh in on their cell provider? They all want 3-year contracts so I want to do my homework.

I already know the following, as these are the common answers:

• All data plans are very expensive
• All cell providers suck
• Telus is from out west

However, this doesn't help much. I am somewhat interested in reception but more interested in customer service.

I am probably deciding between Telus and Rogers, as they have great deals on the iPhone 3Gs. No one has really answered my 'cell phone poll' either, so I'll have to go with my gut on that one.

I've been everywhere, man

On Monday, I was at Poplar Point (more to come). Saturday night, I was in St Peter's. Both of these are on the eastern part of the Island.

Today, a cousin and I drove to the extreme northern tip of the western end: North Cape. It was great! I've only barely been through parts of Prince County (the west) before. We had a meal at the restaurant and gazed out over the water, which stretched as far as the eye could see, at a radius of about 200 degrees.

CC

Milestone

I was going to write about giving blood earlier this week, on a completely separate theme, but this breaking news just came across the transom: Pedaling PEI has reached the 300 mark for donating blood / plasma.

That is a tremendous achievement! And it's not just the stuff of life, it is also a big time commitment: he estimates about 2 hours per visit.

CC

One Month

Today marks one month since the return to the Island. It is interesting that it was on the 18th, as that is a popular birthday digit in our family. It also means that I reached PEI exactly 8 months after turning 40. That is cause-and-effect, right there.

Things are generally going well. I'm sure that I have mentioned that moving back in the summer was a masterstroke. Aside from dinners, I've been out to a few cultural events: e.g. an international film festival and some local comics. I haven't visited everyone yet in terms of family and friends, but I'm past the complete exhaustion that followed the drive, and starting to get out.

I'm sure most know that Regis and Kelly were on PEI. It was pretty cool stuff, and I'm glad I wasn't watching it from Saint Louis. That would have been difficult. Especially because (a) most of it was accurate and gorgeous (b) some of it was airbrushed. I think the mix would have been painful to see from away. But, never mind that, as those days are over.

Fitness is going ok. I'm running, and though not 'fit', the trend is in the right direction. Same is true with my modest musical aspirations.

There have been some unexpected challenges. One is the movers. My stuff should arrive near July 26th. There are others as well but we'll see how they work out. My main goal is to strive towards my sense of routine, get settled in, and enjoy the rest of the summer.

CC

Hulk Smash!

My stuff has not yet left St Louis. It is July 8. They picked it up on June 15.

The local agent in St Louis explained the dispatcher hasn't found a truck yet. Mercifully for him, he was suitably apologetic.

So now the interesting thing is that if I ask them to wait for a couple of weeks, I will have my apartment. I was assuming that they would bring my stuff to my family's house, but more delay could bypass the intermediary move, which will be yet more expense and generally unpleasant.

I haven't asked them to wait yet, and am not sure if I can do that. We'll see.

The Window

Tomorrow is the last day of the "delivery window" for my stuff. No word yet. Vic reminded me that there must be a tracking number, and sure enough there is one. Alas, the online news is rather ominous. We'll see what the St Louis agent has to say tomorrow. I won't go into "Hulk Smash" mode until then, but it won't be far off.

In happier news, I've selected an abode! It is near Ken's Corner (approx. Euston and Weymouth) in Charlottetown. The name apparently has stuck, even though Ken's is long gone. It is a 1-bedroom with a parking spot, and within walking distance of "the action", whatever that may entail. I'm enthusiastic about it being very close to the Confederation trail (St Louisans, that is our Katy trail).

Finally, my sincere apologies to Island readers with whom I have not yet visited. Sadly, this group is virtually all Island readers. I've been exhausted from the stress of the move and a new employer. All I do is sleep, it seems. On the weekends, all I do is run (as exercise) or run errands (for the move). I hope to see everyone soon!

CC

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day, everyone!

It is a lovely day here on PEI. Though I have been getting my car inspected / acclimatized, lots of people are going out to community pancake breakfast and parades today. Various communities will have fireworks tonight.

Thanks to my American friends who have send e-notes, and special thanks to JAK for a hilarious Hoops & Yoyo e-card to celebrate. She sends one every year...

CC