Today's Work and Activities, VOCM Open Line (gentle), Seabirds, and projects for the remainder of July

Another sunrise and sunset later...

Worked well today, and am very pleased with the other EnCana project; almost finished.

Listened to the VOCM Open Line a bit today on-line. I don't even dare get on to that subject... it would be like talking politics, religion, immigration, and hockey all at once. The Open line is a public forum (where you can say anthing you want because you are just 'Caller') on the radio every morning in St. John's. It gets very heated and is never calm, easy listening. I woke up at 4:00 am today...so I was able to catch a sunrise with the Open Line. With the time difference... the Open Line is over at 7:00 am! That's crazy!

I spoke to Ma this morning at 4:00 am (8:30 am in NF). I could hear the Atlantic seabirds at the same time as the Pacific seabirds. Nice! "Gulls in Stereo".

Today, I looked up some recreational sports teams to join (softball and curling); both co-ed and for fun.

There is 2 kinds of softball here though; 4-ball and mat-ball. In 4-ball, every batter gets 4 pitches and that's it. The mat-ball is more what I picture as rec softball (pitch away...4 balls=walk...3 strikes and yer outta there). I'm very late signing up (they started the last week of April), so the girl at Vancouver Recreational Softball Leagues has to see who has the fewest players and that's the team I'll go on. Guess I should getta glove, huh?

The curling is year-round, and they're finishing up a 'session' in 3 weeks, but I may be able to play before that. Should be cool. Ma would have a fit! She's so afraid of me getting hurt! I secretly feel like I'm 10 and just got away with something!

I'm want to go to another Trooper concert! Actually, I'm friggin' goin'! This will forever be my "Trooper" time of life. They're playing July 22 in Maple Ridge.

I am also going to head to Victoria to see Ivan and Cecile (friends of mine from Humboldt, SK who are housesitting for a relative of theirs). There are 5 cats at that house!!!! Apparently, the house is close to the Empress (the big Fairmont property on the water), so that means it's very well situated and I know that area.

I met Ma and Neil in Victoria on the Victoria Day weekend (we worked a gig with National Defence - Esquimault). Of course, Ma showed me around and it was really neat to be there over Victoria Day. They had all kinds of special events going on. I particularly liked the Harbour Hopper to Spinnakers!!!!

I have to go and come before the 22nd though. Ivan and Cecile are coming here on the 25th (as their housesitting duties will be fulfilled) on their way back to Humboldt. I also need to go to Calgary and I won't find out the details of that until a conference call that is scheduled for the 17th. So, I expect it will be pretty crazy considering the 11th is quickly coming to an end.

This time, when I go to Calgary, I'm calling friends I know in Bassano, AB (an hour south of Calgary) to meet me. I'm going to spend extra days there. When I went in June...it was really just in - out and that's it. I want to poke around more this time. I was supposed to go this week...which would have put me there for the Stampede. That would have been neat.

Anyway, friends, bonne nuit de l'ouest.

I will close with a quote from the Open Line this morning:

"It's not comin' down in buckets...it's comin' down in 40-gallon drums" - referring to rain.