Reader says: WTF CBC??

It's horrible that the MotherCorp would cut the only reporter position in a region as ginormous as yours. We are all worse off for this.

There are two ways to look at my layoff.
No. Make that three.

Yes. There are at least three ways to look at the way I lost my job. Wait. Maybe there are more. Hm.

I'm getting confused. Why don't we just look at the "facts:"

1. Poor Jackie: she doesn't have a job anymore. And now has to leave the place she's called home for the past two years. Moving is hard. Moving from the north is harder. Leaving people and places behind you may never see again is difficult. Leaving without a job on the other end is even harder. Poor Jackie.
2. Poor Rankin: there are a handful of reporter positions for the territory. One in Rankin Inlet. One in Cambridge Bay. About 5 or 6 in Iqaluit (giving half-points to the news reader and senior reporter etc.) The position in Rankin will soon be gone, leaving a huge gap in news coverage for the territory.
   
3. Poor Regions: while there is *supposed* to be a reporter position in Cambridge Bay, this isn't the case, really. The reporter assigned to the Kitikmeot is actually currently based in Iqaluit. The plan *was* to move him to Cambridge Bay, but there are some logistical issues that have been tricky to work out. That means there are only reporters in the Baffin region now. All reporting outside Iqaluit will now have to be done by phone.

BUT there are a couple good things going on here.

1. Locals doing local news: For the past couple months (and especially since I left for vacation) my coworkers here in Rankin Inlet have been doing more and more news clips. Instead of me taking clips from the interviews they've done and writing them into a story, they're doing it themselves. This means more chances for bilingual stories. And more stories grounded in the culture of the regions. This is a good thing.
   
2. Jackie gets what she wanted: to head out of Rankin sooner rather than later. And she doesn't have to pay her own way to do it.
   

So reader, while I agree with you on principle... that cutting the only reporter position in a geographic area as stupidly huge as the Kivalliq is a real shame...

Having the local people here in Rankin do that job is probably the direction we should have gone in in the first place. Have them trained to do the reporting, or at least job-shadowing the reporter for a couple months so they know how things go.

The PROBLEM here isn't in eliminating a job (because in reality, though not in name, they are going to have others fill that void). The problem is that yet again we're going to have people in the Rankin station thrown into doing a job they've not been really trained to do. Sure, more often than not, you learn by doing. But there's journalistic theory involved in reporting. Guidelines and rules that need to be followed... and until you get someone up here to hold a session on Journalistic ethics and practices... the station's going to be at a bit of a loss.

Reader & non-readers ask: Oink Oink?

No.

I. Do. Not. Have. Swine. Flu.

So what the hell happened when I was gone? Seriously, I leave town, the GG snacks on a seal, creates a international ruckus and the entire territory comes down with H1N1.

Looks like we're not getting along very well with animals lately :P

According to yesterday's report by the GN Department of Health, the count's now at 140-something, split 60-40 between the Kitikmeot and Kivalliq regions. For some unknown reason no one's tested positive in the Baffin yet. But frankly, I'd say that's just a matter of time.

Seriously though, we're okay. Yes people have H1N1 (in fact, my skidoo buddy/inuk boyfriend was sent down to Winnipeg because of it) but it's still pretty much "business as usual". With a little bit of Purell thrown in for good measure.

Serendipity

I don’t believe in fate. I never have, and probably never will. As some of you know, I’m just too much of a control freak to even consider the possibility that I don’t have the power to choose my own destiny. I believe the choices I make affect the future. But I also acknowledge I can only control my own future, not that of others. Autonomy, you know?

But even though I reject fate, and I reject destiny, and I reject other notions of pre-ordained paths….

I do believe in Serendipity. I believe it, because I’ve seen it. I believe it, because I’ve lived it. I believe it because it basically describes everything my life has been and continues to be.

The CBC has cut the reporter position in Rankin Inlet.

My job has been eliminated. And my time in Rankin is up.

And that’s where Serendipity comes in.

I’ve been ready to leave Rankin for several months now. That probably comes as little surprise, I don’t hide my unhappiness very well. There have been some good times, I recognize that whole-heartedly. I made some good friends, had a fulfilling relationship (that has since ended, as some may have guessed) and dipped my toes in the waters of news reporting.

But Rankin is not my home. I think maybe I knew that from the beginning. I still remember with painful detail how scared I was, how panicked I felt that first night in town. Looking around at my “cat-lady” apartment and feeling utterly alone. But I adapted, and I got swept up in the “new-ness” of it all… and I think genuinely enjoyed it for awhile. It was hard, but it was new.

But eventually the novelty wore off. And now it’s just hard.

And while the timing is maybe awkward (I found out when on holidays), I’m looking at the whole layoff as a closing-a-door/opening-a-window situation. My union’s got my back. The Mothercorp is paying my way out (and moving all my belongings), and they have to try to find me another position somewhere else before I am COMPLETELY jobless. And I’m on a recall list for the next 15 months.

Basically, what I’ve been trying to do on my own, finding another job somewhere else in the country, has just been accelerated on my behalf.

So don’t cry for me, (Argentina). I’m doing just fine. Maybe the pup and I will find a place we can really call home this time. A place with grass, and trees and some of the many familiarities I’ve missed this past year and a half.

It’s a bit scary, and things could move quite fast in the next month or so. But I’m ready. I’ve got serendipity on my side.

:)

BREAKING NEWS!

JACKIE S. QUIRE WILL BE THE AFTERNOON NEWS READER FOR NUNAVUT TODAY.
STAY TUNED @ 3:30 MOUNTAIN, 4:30 CENTRAL, 5:30 EASTERN TIME.

:D:D:D:D

I love new challenges.

Strange outsourcing

I made the following observation today while reading back on Darcy's blog about the Nunavut 10-year anniversary.

He linked to two news stories on cbc.ca:

One about education
and
One about mining

Both articles are on the longer side. So I'm not asking you to read them all the way through (but they are pretty interesting, and fairly well written). But here's the thing. Check out the byline.

Done?

It strikes me as odd (yes, sure, that's the word) that the Corp would post stories from a rival news source when it has many many reporters in the territory who live and work here. Seems like a strange use of resources to me.

Am I just out to lunch on this one? Or is this as bizarre as it seems?

Age of Confusion

I've been finding it increasingly difficult to focus as of late.

Probably because my efforts to be zen about how various economic stability issues right now are being thwarted at every pass.

When the first "getting through tough times" letter came around months ago, I vowed I wouldn't be one of those people who freak out about what COULD happen. I'd focus instead at the task at hand, and take everything in stride.

What else could I do, really.

But then ... well I was thrown off guard yesterday. And I blame Megan. While I was pleased to hear her chipper little voice on the other end of the phone line... I was NOT excited to hear the reason for her call.

A friend had heard the hosts in Victoria, BC joking about dusting off their resumes, because job cuts were on the way.

And, the Winnipeg Sun ran this story

My favourite part:

In a wide-ranging interview with Sun Media, Heritage Minister James Moore also said CBC layoffs were nearly certain and expected 600 to 1,200 people across the country would lose their jobs.

*Gulp.

Now since then, there's been even more coverage on this. No confirmation from the MotherCorp. But a somewhat ominous statement that:

No further details were available about the size of the cutbacks, although the public broadcaster said it would make an announcement to staff by the end of the month.

End of the month.

END OF THE MONTH???

What does that even MEAN? Does that mean decisions will be MADE by then? Does that mean that's when the cuts will be officially announced? Eeek!

I remember a month or so ago, we had a North-wide conference call about the status of things... and one person sounded right panic-ed about not really knowing what's going on, and how really, she said we had the right to know. These are our lives they are talking about.

At the time I remember shaking my head and thinking "dude, rellllaaaaxxx." But now I'm her. Now I'm thinking maybe it would have been a good idea to have dusted off that resume a couple months ago.

So now I can't concentrate. While I had more or less planned to move onwards and upwards in the next year or so... I expected to be able to do it on my own timing. Maybe I should have been less CBC-exclusive in my glances at the southern job market.

But then again. Maybe all this sweaty hands and pent-up-nervous energy is the cup of coffee I just downed. Who knows.

All I know, is that I seem to have entered the Age of Confusion. And it's not a short era.

Brr, my veins

Nothing chills my blood like the words "consolidating local stations"

According to Mr. Lacroix, if CBC fails to meet their multi-million dollar shortfall... the options to deal with that include:

• Introducing more American programming into television schedules (currently 100 per cent Canadian from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.)
• Downgrading or selling parts or the whole of TV or radio services.
• Increasing advertising on the air.
• Shrinking geographic coverage of the country by consolidating local stations, which would reverse the current investment CBC is making in building regional coverage.

Ugragh. I don't like that ONE BIT. I don't like it on buttered toast, I do not like it with a roast (detect a theme today, folks?)

I wonder if severence packages include moving down south costs? I hear KIA is looking for a communications person, and all they need is a high school diploma. I'd be a shoo-in....


In other, much more humorous news, I am now Scott Feschuk's new biggest fan. He does witty commentary and whatnot for Macleans which at times could possibly go down as the world's DRY-est magazine (I used to subscribe, but stopped reading because I was perpetually bored).

Here's his "Seven habits of highly not fired yet people". If you like kinda snarky, very witty, somewhat pop-culture-y writing WHY ARE YOU LEAVING THIS BLOG! YOU GET ALL THAT HERE! No, I lie :P Check out HIS blog here, and that article above. I definitely got a chuckle or two.

Lucky Me

So I'm one of those lucky people. I had three of my four grandparents for most of my life, and all four up until I was five or six years old.

And I grew up near those grandparents all my life. I was never more than a couple hours away from them until I moved to Ottawa for school.

But I don't just have grandparents. No, in fact for some reason my Dad's side of the family (though it doesn't look it in recent years) has largely been blessed with some sort of radioactive longevity gene.

My grandmother's mother, "Grammie Sullivan" (where the name Sully comes from) lived to be 99 years old. I actually have memories of her, which is pretty remarkable. Granted they were all in the hospital... but still.

And my grandmother's sisters are all in the eighties and nineties ... and many of them still kickin'.

Now a couple months back, one of "the sisters" passed away. I say "sisters" because Grammie S. actually had twin older sisters who were also nuns. Well, one of them still is. So Sister Anne has moved on to a better place (I honestly believe that, I'm not a HUGE religion-fanatic but the lady was a nun, for crying out loud. If anyone gets to go to heaven or wherever, it's her). And Sister Mary ... while she certainly felt the loss, I'm sure, she is still buzzin around the convent almost as actively as before... just without her other half (literally).

I got an email from my aunt today, with the following message:

Last Sunday when I visited with Sr. Mary told me she heard "Jackie, Jacqueline S* on CBC"....she seemed to say it with pride, yet disbelief...she always listens to CBC :)

Isn't that just the cutest thing? My 96 (?) year old grand-aunt randomly heard me on CBC. And realized it was me. And told people about it.

I think that's just amazing.


*Yet again, trunkated to preserve the iron-clad identity of the blogger

Ow, Ow! My arm!

Remember? I'm mysterious!

Yeesh!

So I didn't talk about this widely for a couple reasons.

1. I didn't want to get MY hopes up, nor my friends and/or familys'.
2. I didn't tell my current employer, because it was kind of random, so I didn't want to write about it here, and have that be the way people found out.
3. I was really conflicted about the outcome, I didn't know what I wanted.
4. Maybe I WAS being a bit superstitious and didn't want to talk about it too much "or it wouldn't happen"
   

So here's the deal. A couple months ago... I was having a bad day or bad week or whatever, and was surfing the CBC Jobs board. I do this pretty regularly. Just to see what kind of options are out there, and where. I saw a posting for the type of job I was doing in Quebec City. In Halifax.

The kind of job I want to get back into doing. In the city I've often said I'd like to settle down in.

If there's anything I've learned over the past year and a bit is that I'm not a natural reporter. Sure, I can do it. Hell, I can do an okay job of it, but it's not where my heart lies. And I'm not cut out to spend the rest of my life in the North. That's just life. And I've accepted it.

So I filled out a couple forms, and pressed "Send."

Last week I heard from them. They wanted to interview me.

Not being one that's able to say NO... (especially to a potentially great opportunity), I had my interview on Wednesday. It went okay, but I didn't really feel qualified for the job. There was a significant technical aspect, and I am not a trained technician. Yet.

They interviewed four people, they were going to let me know today.

As the days wore on, I became more and more anxious and conflicted about the whole thing. Sure I have my moments, but I wasn't really ready to leave. I just bought a snowmobile. My sealift just arrived. Not to mention the fact that I have little interest in starting up another long-term LDR*.

So when the producer called this morning, I actually found myself repeating "say 'unfortunately,' SAY 'unfortunately'" in that little noggin of mine.

I got my wish...I think.

I didn't get the job**, and I'm actually un-naturally okay with it. I didn't really expect to get an interview, and now I have a little more experience in selection boards...

And like I said, I don't think I'm ready to leave. I've got a bunch of things coming up that I want to see through.

Spark has asked me to do another story for them, which should air mid-December.

I'm gearing up for my first Northern Christmas (MY TREE ARRIVED YESTERDAY HORRAY!).

And I'm planning my next vacation (which is ... 6? months away? Haha).

So yes, Clare, some day you will most likely say "I knew her back when..." but that day's not today. Nor is it tomorrow.

I'm still here, if you guys are. So don't give up on me yet :D


*Long-distance relationship
** They ended up hiring this guy who is a journalist with 18 YEARS of teching experience. No way I can compete with that lol.

Turning tides

I've been waiting for InsideTheCBC to do something about a recent email we MotherCorpians received at the end of last week. I didn't want to write about this until I made sure the letter was public record, and not solely for the eyes of CBC staff.

In a plainspoken message to employees yesterday, CBC President Hubert Lacroix, announced that there would be no layoffs at the CBC if there’s “any way to avoid it.”

“Where others are contemplating and predicting layoffs, we are looking to put in place and push forward with solutions that won’t involve cutting jobs,” Lacroix said yesterday in a email to employees.

Lacroix said CBC employees are the foundation of the corporation “and we don’t want to chip away at that foundation.” This comes in the wake of layoffs announced at Canwest this week, with CTV predicting similar measures.

Nevertheless cost-cutting measures are being put in place immediately:

• All new-hires will have to be reviewed at the vice-presidential level;
• Significant reductions in travel, hospitality and entertainment expenses;
• Additional reductions in overtime.

Lacroix also appealed directly to employees to help. “You know the details of your particular operations best. Look around; think hard about what it is you do. If you have an idea as to how your unit or department could cut costs over the coming year, pass that idea on to your director."

(...)

A couple things of note.

First: The email came amid THIS. Which Lacroix also defended earlier last week.

Second: The Canadian Media Guild collective agreement with CBC expires this March.

Third: The CMG and CBC start yet another full week of collective agreement planning/discussions today. According to a recent CMG newsletter...

... we will be tackling the issues of Workload, Performance management and staff development, Training and Job security.

Both parties continue to seriously pursue the goal of achieving an early renewal of our Collective agreement and are encouraged in this pursuit by our improved relationship and our new problem-solving process.

All this is a little un-nerving. Actually I've been feeling uneasy about this whole economic shakedown for the past couple weeks now. I can't seem to decide which is more foolish: living in Canada's most expensive province/territory during a recession OR trying to find a new job during a recession.

Thoughts?

PS, I've just decided that Life is a High way is a song I simply don't hear enough of. It reminds me of summers on PEI at my cousins' house, rockin' out to our parents' casette tapes. That and Rhythm of My Heart.

Excuse me while I go have a moment to myself.

I just can't BEAR it anymore!*

So for quite some time... actually since bloody Kate Nova was in Rankin Inlet back at the end of this summer... I've been on bear-duty.

Actually, I take that back. I was on GRIZZLY bear duty months before that when they were hanging around outside Rankin, breaking into cabins etc...

But ever since she came up, and we attended the NWMB board meeting... I probably do about one bear story per week.

But then the polar bears invaded Arviat. Because of the way the town's situated, the bears have to come quite close to town to get to the sea ice on their migratory path. But this year, well they have made themselves comfy in town. Lots of seal and caribou meat, don't you know.

And now.... shit it's only Tuesday and I've already written 3 polar bear stories.

The one that creeps people out the most (myself included)? Yesterday, this 18-year old girl and her 15-year old sister were walking to their grandmother's place, when a polar bear appeared in
front of them, and began to chase them until they got to the closest house. Not long after, the bear was shot.

I don't know, man. All I can say is I'm glad I live here... and bears are much less likely to come near... let alone into town.

I'm not sure how effective a bear-hunting dog Sully would be.

*Okay, well that's kind of a gross exaggeration, but I thought it was punny and couldn't think of a better blog post title. Bet you are jealous and want to steal my wittiness, eh TB?

UPDATE: KARA! I THINK YOU WON SOMETHING IN THE SPARK CONTEST. CHECK IT OUT.

Four things

First - I provide the following without comment, and for your consideration. Oh. Except for this comment: Sounds a lot like recent happenings with First Air.

Second - HOLY CROW I THINK MY STATCOUNTER IS BROKEN. As I write this, 585 people have read by blog ... TODAY. And it's only 10 am!!!!!! It will be interesting to see how this whole Spark thing influences my daily readership after things settle down. But for now, check this out:


Now the one thing I DID notice is that I have VERY FEW returning visitors. Which makes me a little le sad. Hopefully people will come by again - if nothing else than to admire my totally swank new header. Because it's a work of art. Literally.

Third - I hate puppies. Okay, no. That's a lie. I love puppies, therefore I must hate puppies. Because if I don't hate puppies, I will beg/borrow/steal my way into having a second one. And that's probably the least sensible thing ever.

Fourth - I GOT MY TRAVEL INSURANCE CHEQUE YESTERDAY! This is a big moment. The boy and I have been filling out paperwork and harassing Manulife for MONTHS now, following the Greecian Holiday Baggage Fiasco. Now I'm going to have to go back into my files and double check, because I'm pretty sure they short-changed me. But I'm not even sure if it's worth fighting. I'm just SO TIRED of trying to get money from people, be they insurance co's or dentists. What I really need is one of those dealies where THEY pay for it up front. NO more of this "I'll pay for it first and then maybe you'll give me my money back"

-30-

Tune in....

To hear yours truly AND madam Jen of Nunavut this Wednesday at 11:30am on SPARK!

Ever wonder what your favourite bloggers sound like? Well hear two of them WEDNESDAY at 11:30 on CBC Radio 1.

I'm roundin' the bend folks. There's just the little details left on this project now. The doc is done, the script is set, I have my taped chat with Nora tomorrow bright and early tomorrow morning...

I am feeling good.

And it's about time. While I've had my share of stress over this project, I don't regret it even for a second... and I'd do it again - many times over - if I could.

It just comes down to keeping up skills. It's funny I've only been a "news journalist" for a year now. And all through j-school I never thought I had the right personality or whatever that 'IT FACTOR" is that makes news journalists what they are. And while I don't really consider myself a NATURAL newsie, I am good at pretending.

But in the process, I somehow developed this idea of NATIONAL RADIO that is very different from reality. NATIONAL RADIO is not the same thing as NATIONAL RADIO NEWS. Life - and radio - doesn't have to be all serious. Sure, police stories are serious, health stories are serious, and sometimes political stories are serious (though often, just funny without knowing it haha).

But those are just three categories. Why do we take EVERYTHING so freaking seriously? Sometimes you just need to lighten up a bit.

So with the help of my lovely producer Elizabeth, I lightened up a bit. Had some fun with the story. Like I used to, back in the days of CBC Quebec.

And I tell you, it felt gooood.

So yah.

Tune in, Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. (12:00 NT) and Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT) on CBC Radio One - - wherever you may be.

All worked out

So I dropped off the face of the earth this weekend, in case anyone was curious, or wondering, or concerned or any other kind of wonderful, caring emotion.

Not for any really good particular reason... except that I was stressing out again, and figured the best way to deal with it was to not be home at all. Poor puppy.

But my Friday was just so stressful (I didn't stop from the moment I got in at nine to find one of my interviewees waiting for me...until I left in a panic at five because I was late for helping out with curling registration. I went straight from registration to Nat's for Bingo (when finally, I could relax a little) and good times were had.

Went for the inaugaural snowmobile drive on Saturday afternoon.
Things that rocked:

• heated handlebars and throttle
• going 80km/h over the lake ice
• not dying when the skidoo hit a really slippery piece of ice, and nearly tipped over (don't worry mom, I am alive, and was wearing a helmet)
• watching the sun set behind the snowy tundra on my right hand side (purple skies... so beautiful) and on my left, seeing the moon high in the navy blue sky.
  
• "smart wool" socks that I borrowed from Nat.
  
• being toasty warm for the first 3/4 of the trip (but kind of chilly for the last quarter... and then it took me a good hour to defrost - but I'm a slow thaw-er)
• NOT GETTING STUCK EVEN ONE TIME - this is an accomplishment for me, more on this later in the week

I basically wasted the whole weekend away, because I knew I had to have a no-nonsense day of Spark-ing on Sunday.

Today I started work at 10 and finished up at 7. No breaks, except to go over to Sarah's to interview her. It was intense. I was uber productive. But it was pretty steady going. At one point I thought I was going to have a panic attack, because I couldn't figure out how I was going to start the bloody thing, or the direction I was going....

So I headed to the office. Amazing how much easier it is to tell a story when you have more than one, really bad, interview in the bag.

I actually spent the better part of the afternoon talking/listening to Jen of Nunavut. She was one of the many of you to have volunteered to be part of the story. She did a great job, and totally saved my ass.

I meant to write this earlier, but I wanted to thank all you guys again for volunteering to be interviewed. Since I wrote that plea, we narrowed down the scope a bit, to JUST Nunavut - which is totally fair. I don't know anything ABOUT any of the other territories. Also, the interviews were basically just about online banking and online shopping.

So thanks again everyone for offering up your stories! I won't say anything just yet, but there is a chance I'll be doing an encore on Spark, so maybe we'll talk then!

So between the stressful Friday, and the busy Sunday, I'm certainly looking forward to the day off on Tuesday. Granted, it's not REALLY a day off... I'll be heading down to the legion, hopefully, for the Rememberance Day ceremony... but I'll be able to catch up on those zzz's and relax in the afternoon.

I would really like to do some reading.

Spark some interest in the north....

Okay dear readers, especially dear NORTHERN readers, who do not always post in comment sections but I know you visit (because my Statcounter says so) I NEED YOUR HELP.

I am doing a story for one of the CBC's southern programs, called Spark. You can read about the show here. I have long been a fan of Nora Young, and now I'm going to be on her program!

The story I'm doing is about the use of the internet in the North - and how it differs from the south. You may remember I wrote an entry about this back at the end of September. Well that response turned into them asking me to go on their show, do a little chat with Nora and a short documentary.

Just let me say how thrilled (but also scared and nervous) I am to be doing this story. But I need some help. I know useage is a bit different in Iqaluit (thanks TB) but I don't know anything about the other communities - or territories for that matter.

So here's the deal.

I'm looking for a couple different things.

First, if you live in the north (specifically Nunavut), and are interested in being in a fun little documentary about internet usage (subjects include banking, shopping, blogging and whatever else you do "differently" from the south) please let me know. I'm especially interested in talking to a fellow blogger (I can't talk about myself ALL the time) and someone who lives in a community where there isn't a physical BANK (Cape Dorset? Arctic Bay?). Most likely (unless you live in Rankin) it will be an interview over the phone. Pretty relaxed, just a chat about what you do and how you do it. I'm nice.

Second, if you live in the NWT or Yukon, and can shed some light as to how internet works there (is it satellite? Is it through the phone line? Cable? How fast is it? How does it compare to "down south" how much does it cost?) I'd really appreciate that too.

I know most people aren't used to being interviewed but I'd really appreciate it if you'd even just consider helping me out with this. It's a huge opportunity for me, and a chance for the North to get heard about something that's not snow or polar bears (or seals).

Thank you so much (in advance)
Jackie

Stay tuned...

Cuz I'm going to be on TV tonite!

Remember how I was saying I was paranoid over the numerous break-ins in town over the last little while?

Well it's worse than I thought. There have actually been 41 break-and-enters since the first of September. Twenty-five of those in the month of October. That's more than one a day. *shudder*

(Sidenote, thank god I have a BLOOD-THIRSTY DOG to protect me hahaa)

So Northbeat wanted to interview me about it.

So if you want to hear me try and string two words together, tun in to Northbeat tonite on CBC.

Technical difficulties

Or....

Murphy's Law of Hosting.

I hosted the english half-hour of the afternoon show today.

My CBC debut of hosting. The job I have said I want to end up doing... assuming I have some degree of control over content and chasing stories I want to do.

How did it go?

The words "crash and burn" come to mind.

Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh. I did a pretty good job, I can acknowledge that. On the actual HOSTING bit? I can say I felt comfortable.

On the TECHNICAL BIT? Not so much.

The unique thing about our afternoon show out of Rankin Inlet is that there's no tech working the show with you. The host is in charge of pushing all the buttons, lining up the show on the computer and introducing it all. All while sounding relatively calm.

Me? Well, let's just say I had no clue what buttons I was supposed to push until 3 minutes before my intro. Seriously. (The whole affair was pretty spur-of-the-moment, but this one element made it particularly tricky).

I still didn't exactly understand what I was doing until right before my first item (after I played a song I loooove - - total control over song choice = best part of hosting). So the first... um... 15 minutes went pretty smooth. And then for some reason a sting (read: radio-speak for instrumental music used in-between items/stories/weather etc.) played when the item was supposed to. But I realized what happened right away, and reflex-pushed the button to stop it, then there was DEAD AIR.

Even when I was a wee child watching Full House I knew that DEAD AIR = BAD NEWS. It might as well be the cardinal sin of radio.

So DEAD AIR for probably 15 seconds? (I'm not really sure, it was long enough for me to start freaking out and clicking rapidly on the item I WANTED to play...)

I finally fixed it, and pressed the right button as 2 of my colleagues rushed into the studio, scared looks on their faces. Mine mirrored theirs.

During the next item (man it sounds like we have the longest show going... but we don't... it's only 30 minutes...but it felt like the shortest lifetime ever... if that makes any sense), our local producer said I had a wonderful voice for hosting, and we talked about how I really wanted to get back to my current affairs roots etc. It was great. She doesn't hand out praise very liberally, so it meant a lot to me.

Somehow we ended up losing about 2 minutes (doesn't sound like much, but makes all the difference in the world)... and I forgot to press the button that activates the theme (you are supposed to press it at 16:57:22) ... so co-worker came back in all a flutter asking if I remembered to start the theme (it runs UNDER the items at zero volume until the host is done saying the good-byes) and of course I didn't and then she worked some magic... and fixed it. The last item ended, we had 45 seconds to spare...

I started the extro... the signoff....

AND RAN INTO THE WALL.

How. Embarassing.

Again for you non-radio folks... the way the shows work is on every hour (and sometimes half-hour) there is a "wall" - it means your program is hijacked by regional or national HQ, for some sort of news. You cannot void the wall. You try to A-void the wall (ha-ha).

I did not manage to do that.

I ran head-first into it.

So between dead air, and running into the wall... and misplacing my pronouncer for one of the organizations two of the six times I had to say their name...

It wasn't exactly my finest moment in radio history.

I swear, if it wasn't for having to tech myself, I would have done much better. My reading was almost spot-on... and I enjoyed myself.

I guess it's just one of those things people will dig out of the archives to play at my humiliation when I'm rich and famous :P

Penny for your thoughts

So I'm sitting at work, reading the April 21st issue of MacLean's.

And the "from the editors" blurb (which is quickly becoming my favourite section of the magazine... generally quite well-written, current and witty*)

This one is about the penny... and it's slow descent into worthlessness.

I'm not sure how I feel about abolishing the penny. I believe I read on CBC.ca that there's something like 600 pennies in existence for every person in Canada.

That's a lot.

But the jury's out on if the penny is actually costing us time/money to keep in circulation. Maclean's says each penny costs approximately four pennies to make... but the mint says it only costs 0.8 cents per one-cent-piece.

And Desjardins says we'd save about $130 million a year if we scrapped the coin.

Here's my take. If MacLean's is right, and it costs 4 cents to make one penny... and if CBC is right, and there are something like 20 billion pennies floating around the country.... why can't they just STOP MAKING THEM FOR AWHILE.

Surely we're not going to run out of pennies in the immediate future, given these stats. Am I missing something here? Or do I have a promising future in economics?

*unlike the article I read before this one, written by Megan's favourite mommy columnist... (I've gotten the impression typing her name will only further encourage self-indulgent googling on behalf of "the columnist-who-must-not-be-named"). Check out the Bizarre section of May 12th's Maclean's to see what I mean.

Rankin ramblings

I'm torn.

I can't decide which is better/worse:

To be sick and stay at home and get no work done all day (leaving others to pick up your slack... at least in my profession)

Or to be sick and come to work, functioning maybe at half-capacity (if that) but also possibly infecting fellow co-workers.

There's a not-so-fun cold bug going around Rankin these days. Coworker 1 was out most of last week... Coworker 2 had it this weekend... and Coworker 3 (who never ever takes time off due to illness) just left to go home for the rest of the day.

I have no desire to come down with this thing. Granted I'm always a fan of a little extra sleep... but not if it comes with a razor-blade throat and achy body.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but it actually feels like it is getting a bit warmer. I don't think we had a -50 (or lower) day at all last week... which is a VAST improvement. And I've been doing more walking than usual (for me) the past week as well.

Our poor decrepit work vehicle (which, mind you, is just 2 years old) is still DOA. He's been frozen stiff for over a week now. It makes things a lot harder from a reporting point of view. It's times like these I wish we had a backup snowmobile or something. At least then it would be easier to get around and talk to people.

I just got a kind of funny phone call, from this gourmet shop in the states. I was watching Martha Stewart (lol, I know, shocker) on Friday and there was this fellow from Sardinia sharing recipes etc. Anyways, they mentioned you could get a couple of the ingredients on their website (www.gourmetsardinia.com) ... things that would otherwise be impossible (for me anyways) to get my hands on. So I sauntered over to the site, and picked a couple things to buy (Bottarga and Fregula) but it didn't work, so I didn't give it a second thought. Just shrugged and thought "no biggie." My life wasn't going to be worthless without Fregula.

Anyways, they just called me, apologizing for it not going through, and they were swamped with orders... and it just struck me as quaint, sweet and funny all at the same time. Some dude's who appeared on Martha Stewart... his store called me to apologize for not being able to immediately process my order.

FINALLY: (I've been working on this blog post intermittently all day) I just got asked by Newsworld to do a story tomorrow morning. 6:25 EST with Madam Hiscox re: the power outages. I should have done this at the end of last week... but with the lack of power and general insanity, it just wasn't going to happen.

Anyways, as someone's said to me in the past... I've officially become CBC's "bad shit is happening in the north" correspondent. But really (*knock on wood*) what ELSE can happen?

Dear anonymous writer...

A question on Megan's blog got me thinking...

I don't know if I would have had the ability... or "soundness" of mind to answer that question a couple of months ago (yes, hard to believe I have been here almost 5 months)...

Actually, maybe I'm just in a good mood today.

Either way. I have my answer.

Why did I move to Nunavut?

Well this may be a cop-out answer... but "why not"?

I'm young, eager, and not really scared of the cold (not now that I have my Canada Goose parka). I have traveled parts of Europe, lived in France... 5 of our provinces and so... a window opened to the north and I crawled through.

It's cold.

It's remote...

But most days it's pretty darn cool too (yah yah, I'm punny)

I won't be here forever. But who knows what the next few years will bring. A year ago the north was a fleeting thought, and I remember thinking of it as a place where you "pay your dues" before moving on.

I don't really think that anymore. It's not about paying dues, it is about getting to do things I might not have the chance to do "down south." It's about having weekends off, and being a full-time reporter at 22. It's about holding onto this experience with both hands, squinting against the wild snow and wind.... and coming out the other end panting, out of breath, and totally exhilarated.