Roses in Reverse

There is a new single out by David Usher - "Kill the Lights" available on itunes - and there is my unsubtle David Usher plug. Its a pretty decent song :D. Today was a nice family day - and while I didn't get a sunburn, nearly every muscle in my body hurts.

Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School

I thought it was time for a non-gardening post. I've been throwing them up because they are fast and don't keep me from my thesis for more than a few moments. I'm giving myself about 5 minutes to get this one done - so I take no responsibility for my spelling or writing skills - this is a rapid fire news dump, not an essay.

Pictured above is my new workplace in Baker Lake - Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School. Obviously, I haven't been up there, but I was graciously given permission by Curtis of the Northern Sights Blog to borrow his until I could take some of my own. There is even a floor plan online. I think the hardest thing is that I have so much to do, but I'm dying just to get ready and go. Anyone who has suggestions for good teaching resources for northern teachers - I'm all ears.

Not that there hasn't been a lot of tasks to do all ready. I've been tracking down all the paperwork I need to get sent in order to apply for my Nunavut teaching license. I've been trying to compile some lists of things to move. Moving up north is a pretty big deal - and you really have one shot to get it right - since once you are there it is extremely costly to replace the things you forgot - if you can even get your hands on them. I somehow survived in Kashechewan with 7 hangers. The biggest thing I forgot when I moved there was a telephone (I did manage to remember my answering machine). Fortunately, another teacher lent me one until my mom could mail me one. I do have to procure quite a few items, to replace the stuff I sold when I moved back from New Brunswick - so that will be fun or crazy or something. I think the next big job is to set up a staging area for moving and then starting the pile and the list. I think I have 3 weeks. But to add to the complication, I need to leave out the survival essentials to take with me on the plane because my belongings could get delayed for a few weeks after my arrival.

My other big job for June was to complete my sealift order. I know a bit about them from other folk - but I didn't get a chance to put an order in when I was in Kashewean because I didn't start until a few weeks into the school year. Thus, food was expensive and kind of limited in variety. But I did mail myself a lot of the basics. Unfortunately, sending stuff to myself via Canada Post is quite a bit more expensive than my boxes would have costed to ship to Kashechewan - so I'm glad that I've had a chance to make a sealift order. I'm sure I've made mistakes - that I'll wish that I didn't order 12 900g bags of brown rice or a case of nutella I'll also probably kick myself for forgetting stuff too. Luckily, I was able to do my order with the person I'll be sharing my appartment with - so that in a lot of cases we could split cases of stuff which will improve the variety for everyone. I'm set to put the order in by Wednesday, which gives us a few days to think about what we've put in and change our minds a few times. I did a fair bit of research into the process and finally went with the northern store. I'm not sure they are the cheapest (but I think they are pretty good) and I don't think they have the best variety and there was no way to get around having to buy stuff in whole sale quantities - however, they had their catalouge on the internet and were able to give me an exact price for both the item and the shipping (which is good since we are going in on the order together and have to sort out that sort of thing) and the shipping price gets my food from their shelf to Baker Lake without me having to make any arrangements. I figure the northern coop has been doing this a long time - and as an inexperienced sealift orderer - I figured that it was the safest bet. So... I'll maybe post up how good my grocery shopping went next summer - and let you know what my errors were.

So - now all I have to do is finish up writing my thesis and then finish editting it and then defend it while doing moving prep and a bit of unit planning and then maybe I can sleep on the plane.

So, last but not least because I have a bunch of little things.. here are a mass of updates.

1. David Usher has a new single out "Kill the Lights" - his album "Wake up and Say Goodbye" is due out on Sept. 9th, 2008 :D
2. In gardening news: the Lupins are getting their second wind, the petals are starting to unfurl on the daisies, and one echinacaea flower has started to grow. I have a few different types - its seems to be the largest - so it could be the magnus or it could be the alba - as the petals appear white so far. The first daylily (a yellow one) has also flowered.
3. In knitting news, there are only 7 inches left to knit on my shawl - which means I've knit an inch in the last 1.5 months - and most of that at my Gramma's last night. Once I'm up north I'm going to start my Philospher's Wool Sweater and probably a pair of trillium socks that match my new shawl. Until then I hope to finish up the shawl - and start my second crayon jaquard sock. I knit the first one entirely during my breaks working at the greenhouse. I miss the greenhouse - I can't even see a window from my desk.
4. Gas is at $1.34/L - so its a good thing that I've driven my car less than 2 km in the last week. I'm hoping to make a morning bike ride part of my routine - somehow.
5. My hair is finally long enough to tie back!
6. I have a strap and camera case for my new Camera and some generous donations to my camera fund (thanks folks for the awesome birthday gifts everyone), I'm not allowed to get the camera, until after my thesis is written and everything else I need is done - but hopefully by the time I get on that plane I'll have my equipment in order to take some awesome pictures to post here. Of course, I'll probably have to cut down the size and resoluation for the sake of my internet connection, but I'm pretty excited. Amusingly, I'm exactly double the age I was when I got my first real camera. My family tricked me by giving me a stuffed squirrel for my birthday (which I do still have and like muchly) and then surprised me with the camera at my grandparents. I still have the camera, but a spring in the shutter assembly gave out while I was at camp - so it has been retired. I'm sure I'll let you know when I get my first pictures with it.

Anywho, I've exceeded my 5 minutes - and I have a lot to do if I want to sleep in the next 2 weeks.... so this is it for posts with more than pictures of my garden - probably for at least that long - all though some times I get the itch to write when I cut my sleep back.....

Jenn

David Usher Rocks The Horseshoe

At least I think it is the Horseshoe, it might have been the Mod Club or well somewhere. It was a bar in Toronto near to the old Maple Leaf Gardens. The Concert was awesome. Gabe took most of the pictures, but I thought this one could be mine because it looks like whoever took it was shorter than the people in front of them.. but I could by wrong... so credit possibly to Gabe because I'm not sure I took any that weren't blurry. This is part of my catching up on the last few months on things other than my trip to Thunder Bay.

And I'm really having trouble with English this morning... sorry about the discombobulated post. Good concert - we met up with Geoff and Erin... it was a blast.

DAVID USHER's Strange Birds

The new album is out and in my hands and playing on my computer. It is solidly and consistently fantastic. I haven't had it long enough to have a favourite - but I think it'll be either "ugly is beautiful" or "so far down". Compared to other albums, the music is more upbeat and energetic, although the lyrics still have a lot of "darkness" to them. I like that there is some variety. It is easy to tell the songs apart - you don't have that sense that you've heard that song before when you get to track 11, yet you could peg it as David Usher easily. I remember the first time I heard Forest Fire on the radio in Thunder Bay - I knew right away that it was Moist - or "David Usher" as it turned out. The lyrics, as always, are brilliant, cutting, angsty and interesting....

I've broke tradition - this being the first time I haven't bought the new album on the day of its release while travelling. I bought Morning Orbit in Nanimo, BC and "if god had curves" on the way to Cape Breton, NS. I think I bought Hallucinations just before heading back to Fredericton, NB. I'm not going any where today (although there is a concert in my future on the weekend). Of course, that is breaking another tradition - I usually mange to miss all of his concerts by being in the wrong province or having his concert canceled in Thunder Bay due to drummer injuries.... :(.

Anywho... I'd better get back to writing about Wheal Jane...and listening to David Usher...

Cheers,

Jennith

Updaticus

All right, another speed post in the moments of insanity between the lines of sanity on the pages of obscuritus internetus blogiae.

I've added a few new links - mostly to author's webpages - look left. I'd recomend Diana Gabaldon's in particular as she has a quirky sense of humour. On that topic, I read her Outlander series on the advice of my cousin "Liz" starting at girl guide camp - so the book, which has a few smutty moments got passed around among the senior staff. (Truth be told compare to a lot of books its fairly tame - if you want something a bit more riske - may I recomend any of the excellent books by Jacqueline Carey.) I also finally got my brother, his wife and my boyfriend reading the series. It might not be the deepest series I ever read, but boy is it fun. :D Her next book - well, eventually - but not coming soon.

Robin Hobb on the other hand is busily finishing the last book of her Soldier's Son Trilogy - It'll be a while before its out, but still exciting. Jacqueline Carey, the same as above, has a book scheduled to come out in June (YEAH! maybe by then I'll have time to read). Robert Jorden has been very ill - and may never finish his series, but the lastest news is good and it appears he is on the mend. Even David Usher is finishing his new album with the first single out soon and an upcoming tour. I guess I'd better get all my work done cause I have a ton to read - starting with Terie Garrison's Autumnquest. As for George R. R. Martin - he's also a bit behind on his next book and worrisomely old. Terry Goodkind also had dramatic health issues - appearantly resolved with good results - but no news on the last Wizard book.

Anywho,

Must run,

Jennith