I be Moving, Again!

Big news! Sometime next month I'll be moving to Banff, Alberta for an unknown period of time. I announced it on my Facebook and on Twitter earlier, but here's a bit more info.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Banff, it's a resort town located within Banff National Park in Canada's Rocky Mountains. The service population is largely transient, like other resort towns in Canada, with a large number of Aussies and Kiwis on work visas.

I'll be there a little more long term, at least a full year. I've decided to take a gap year and work at the Gap (HAH), which has hired me on as the new logistics manager. Basically that means I'll be in charge of receiving shipments, keeping a clean and organized stockroom, and getting new merchandise onto the sales floor. Behind the scenes stuff.

Suffice to say, I'm stoked!

Banff will be an interesting change of pace for me, as it's a much smaller town than Victoria or Kelowna. I'm talking less than 8000 people. That, and it's located inside the national park. I have to get special permission from the federal government to live there. It's serious business.

Anyway, just wanted to keep people updated!

photos by MarilynJane, afagen, and letsgoeverywhere

on the Grid - Smart Growth Incorporated in Rutland Town Centre’s Community Plan: Kelowna, Canada

With one of the fastest growing populations in Canada, Kelowna has been investing considerable time and effort into long-range planning. The city’s most recent Official Community Plan (OCP), revised in 2011, imagines Kelowna in 2030. Key aspects of this plan include social, environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability. Smart growth is the driving ideology in many of the policies.

 Read the full post on the Grid

photo (c) by South Pandosy BIA

Music Monday: This Circle of Life

On July 23rd, 2011, I did a lot of sitting. I sat in cars, I sat on the ferry between Victoria and Vancouver, I sat in the international departures terminal at Vancouver International Airport, and I sat in a China Eastern flight to Singapore.

It's hard to believe I've now come full circle.

A lot has happened in those 365 days. I've moved to and from Singapore, visited seven different countries, finished my undergraduate degree, moved out of home a little more permanently, and met many, many new people.

There's not really too much I want to say right now, or even have to say, so I'll just skip to the music.

Disney's The Lion King was probably the first film I ever saw in theatres. I loved it then, and love it to this day. The song it made famous came on randomly today, and it pulled on something inside me. I thought it only fitting to choose "The Circle of Life" as my Music Monday track.

a Photoblog - Victoria, a Bit of Old England

photos by me

on the Grid - What is the Purpose of a Park?

Summer has arrived in Canada’s Okanagan valley, and with the warmer weather, people are venturing outside to enjoy the many parks in Kelowna. Among these is Mission Creek Regional Park and Greenway, arguably the most visited park in the city. It includes an educational centre, salmon spawning channel, picnic areas, and a playground. The greenway offers a lengthy trail system that traverses through several of Kelowna’s iconic landscapes.  

 Read the full post on the Grid

photo by jamica1 (c) All Rights Reserved

Ten Thousand Views? Sure, why not!

And another milestone has been reached!

If you're a regular, thanks for caring enough to read my ramblings! And those of you just popping in, thanks for stopping by.

Because my top posts are pretty much exactly the same as when I hit 5K, let's take a look at how people are finding my little space on the internet.

Search terms for those top five posts obviously rank high:

• molly millions, 152 hits
• various combinations of russian firebird tattoo, 178 hits
• true colors personality test, 139 hits
• jonathan rhys meyers tudors, 34 hits

There are also some strange search terms that have led a couple people here. Terms like:

• doing a research paper hours before its due, 2 hits
• hide guns on body, 2 hits
• english things tattoo, 2 hits

Curious.

Well, here's to another ten thousand page views! Thanks again!

photo by Leo Reynolds

Chillin' with the Ogopogo

It's summer! And, oddly enough, summer always tends to be a busy time of year for me. True, I do have plenty of time to fall asleep on the beach and become sunburnt, but I never fail to fill my schedule with other things. This time around? Work, beach volleyball league, blogging for the Grid, scoping out jobs for the fall and winter, and then whatever it is I do over on Protagonize. That will include the Summer Poetry Tournament, and then if I can get the Prose Competition off the ground that will be yet another hat to wear.

Definitely not complaining, though. I enjoy being busy, and being busy with work means the bills will get paid. Whoo! This whole "being an adult" thing isn't too different than what I was doing before, really. The only major difference I can identify so far is that I can't claim student benefits on anything. No student bus pass, no student price rate, no student bank account, no student internships. I'm just a regular person now. Whoo?

One thing will never change, though: I'll still ride any noble steeds I come across in my travels. Such as my buddy the Ogopogo up there. We talk on Twitter sometimes, we're cool like that.

a Photoblog - Peacocks in the Park

photos by me

Happy Canada Day!

It's Canada Day! Happy birthday to my favourite country, the true north strong and free. I'll be spending much of the day in downtown Victoria, watching the live music, sampling all the food, and then settling down for the evening fireworks. A great way to end my holiday weekend at home.


That's all I've got for this post. I may or may not have a Music Monday for you tomorrow, as I'll be on the road most of the day. One might appear in the evening, possibly a sample of the roadtrip soundtrack. Wish me safe travels!

photo by BrittneyBush