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| new garden |
OHMYGOSHYOUGUYS I feel so good!
Honestly, this is ridiculous. Even though my move back to a day shift was interrupted by a two-day stint of hosting, simply going a week where I only had to get up at four in the morning twice feels amazing. I'm more mentally aware, I feel better physically, I'm far more productive at work and at home- it basically feels like I'm operating at a some sort of super-human level. The truth is, it's probably just normal-human levels and I've been at maybe 80% for most of the last year. Try as I might, I never managed to get a schedule going for the early morning starts, so most of the time I just didn't get enough sleep. And that leaks into pretty much everything else in your life- diet, exercise, all the things that you need to make you feel good. In fact, if you're looking for the bare minimum you need to do in order to be happy it's this:
Sleep. Go outside. Eat well.
If you are not doing those three things, do those three things and you will feel amazing. I've been on the outside of this equation for a year and know it to be true. If you're not getting enough sleep, start. Now.
What am I doing with all this energy?
Running again. That's nice. Also built this raised bed garden. Raked the yard. Spent Easter morning with family, mostly my niece who had more energy than me. Afternoon at a friend's open house/fire pit. Went to two great concerts. Lots of stuff. The weather's been good, nice to enjoy it, although this morning it's a cloudy rainy one. Which is good, because I have a raked lawn and new raised-bed garden that need watering.
Work-related stuff
Once again, some stuff to say about life at CBC. First things first, a personal announcement: starting this August I will be the producer of the show I've been working on for the past four years, Daybreak North. Our regular boss is taking some leave and I'll be filling in. All I can say is I'm grateful for all the opportunities I've found with CBC, and eager to keep on learning all I can.
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| pothole season |
Is Prince George spending money meant for environmental projects on road rehab?
Going back to day-shift meant I was able to delve into a story that took a few days of research to work out. It's about budgets and roads and the environment and whether city money is best spent on simply maintaining the status quo or if we'd be better off investing in sustainability. You can listen to it here.
Meanwhile, other voices continue to talk about the future of the CBC, and I'm eager to listen. I don't necessarily agree with every point, but there are some I do and the perspectives are informative.
On the Canadaland podcast, two ex-CBCers ask "Why won't the CBC defend itself?" They also ask other questions and express frustrations with their own time there, and again I believe these are perspectives worth hearing. A good listen.
Another good listen is over on Broadcasting Canada, where Jeffrey Dvorkin is interviewed. Dvorkin came up with CBS in the UK, then to the CBC where he became managing editor and chief journalist, then went to the states and worked with NPR, first as a VP then as Ombudsman. He's back in Canada at UofT's journalism program and is a voice with experience and perspective worth listening to. The interview delves into a lot of areas, not least of which is the perennial question of "what should the CBC be?" He posits that it needs to decide whether it's a public broadcaster with an obligation to listeners as citizens or publicly-funded commercial broadcaster, with obligations to please as many constituent groups as possible. If you are interested in the CBC/Canada/journalism, I recommend it.
Speaking gigs
The other thing to happen this week in CBC-land was new rules on speaking gigs for CBC hosts and reporters. If you aren't familiar with the background to this I will direct you here, here, here and here.
In the interest of full disclosure, since being hired by CBC I have spoken to a group of student journalists, at an art opening, and in a debate over whether Santa Claus exists. And, yes, Santa has gifted me presents every year since I was born, but he did not invite me take part in the Santa Claus debate.
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| the turtle you need to get into Derek Joyce's show |
Enough work stuff, music. So yeah, both those concerts were great. Friday night I got to see Goodnightmare in action for the first time, and she was fantastic. As was Black Spruce Bog, as always. This time they had a projector playing a documentary about a guy making a birch-bark canoe on loop behind them, which was an interesting watch if you ever felt the need to pay attention to something other than the band. Between their growing collection of fan favourites they threw in covers from all over the place: a few lines of Kurtis Blow's hip-hop classic "The Breaks," a rendition of Dolly Parton's "Jolene", a guest appearance from Scott Dunbar for Corin Raymond's "Ol' Fort Mac" and to cap things off for the encore, a bluegrass version of "Stayin' Alive." I also received my t-shirt as part of my contribution to their album funding project and it is a fantastic t-shirt and it will also be a fantastic vinyl album so I suggest you contribute now.
And then the next night it was Rosewood's Diary and Derek Joyce joint release. This is the first time I've seen Rosewood's with their lineup (new female vocalist) and they are tighter than ever. I like a lot of bands from around here, but I'd have to say that from a pure level of professionalism these guys are probably the most pro-sounding group working up north. Which isn't to take away from anyone else, it's just they've got a really polished sound going on. Bandcamp.
And Derek is emerging as a really strong singer-songwriter. The best way I can think of describing his songwriting right now is Bright Eyes without the narcissism and depression. Make sense? Fortunately it doesn't have to because hey- Bandcamp! Just go listen. And another cool thing going on: Derek is blogging about his songwriting process. It's like an album sleeve where the artist explains what each song is about, but in the digital age. derekthejoyce.blogspot.com.
And finally, congratulations to Twin Peaks of Fort St John for being the regional winners in CBC's Searchlight contest. They are now competing to be one of the final ten- vote for them here.
My jams
Aside from the artists above and a whole lotta Prince, here's some of what I'm listening to this week:
James Bay - Let It Go | Jack White - High Ball Stepper | Mazde - Our Chances
Lots of other stuff, too, actually. Thinking it might be time for a mixtape.
Coming up
- Mario Party tournament tomorrow
- Miss Quincy at Nancy O's this Tuesday
- The Copper Big will be serving mint juleps for the Kentucky Derby on May 3
- room for about five speakers left in PechaKucha 2
- Prince George Gentlemen's Croquet Club (ladies welcome, too)
The bandwagon-jumper's guide to the Toronto Raptors
This has been some good basketball. Jump on.
No, you're not entitled to your opinion
"The problem with “I’m entitled to my opinion” is that, all too often, it’s used to shelter beliefs that should have been abandoned. It becomes shorthand for “I can say or think whatever I like” – and by extension, continuing to argue is somehow disrespectful. And this attitude feeds, I suggest, into the false equivalence between experts and non-experts that is an increasingly pernicious feature of our public discourse."How did Canada's middle class get so rich?
A triumph and a warning: Canada has passed America to have the richest middle-class in the world. But there is some indication we are sitting exactly where the Americans were just before their economy collapsed.
The steps of hiring a temporary foreign worker
"What are the steps involved in hiring a temporary foreign worker? Click through our interactive to find out."Facebook's friend problem
"When people say, 'I hate Facebook,' what I think they’re really saying is, 'I wish my real friends would post more stuff so my feed wasn’t full of randos.'"Some species of birds are more intelligent than five-year-old kids
Crows remain awesome.
An argument for a digital first CBC
"Right now, CBC treats its website as if it were an industrial by-product of the broadcast networks, like a slaughterhouse that sells off the bones for fertilizer and the hooves for glue. It’s an afterthought."The Friend Zone
"I know I must sound like every guy ever when I say this, but seriously: WHY IS THE FRIEND ZONE SO HARD TO GET INTO?""There is a a new master of disguise- and it's a plant"
Meet the chameleon vine.
Is it time for a dress-code for parents?
Less about a dress code for parents and more a full-on discussion on manners, how we present ourselves, and the subtle ways we communicate who we are to the world.
The Prince George Cougars have been (almost) sold and they are taking Andy Beesley with them
"Beesley and Pocock have a long history of collaborative hockey efforts, dating back to the 2006-07 season with the Farr Fabricating bantam team, when Pocock was the head coach and Beesley was the team manager."
Some thoughts on the Cougars and whether they should even be in Prince George
My husband's stupid record collection
Raising a moral child
How do you raise a moral child? Ff they do bad, tell them their actions are bad. If they do good, tell them they are good. Fascinating research.
A better axe
A Finnish inventor says he's found a way not only to make axes more efficient, but safer, too. By the way, he's going to be on Daybreak this Monday at 6:45.
Ben Heppner retires
He went to school in Dawson Creek around the same time as my parents, so it's weird that one of the most famous opera singers of our time is only a couple degrees of separation away from me. Then again, he works for CBC now, so I there's another connection. Also on Daybreak this week (Wednesday, I believe).
My fight to end gendered happy meal toys
Some people might not think this is a big deal, but I'd argue it is. Well done.
Fingersnapping Super Mario
'Nuff said.
Vine of the week:
Protip: play fetch over a hill to tire out your dog sooner
Hope you're having a great spring,
Andrew
"The Cougars are the most remote team in the entire Canadian Hockey League and the travel time alone makes Prince George a poor choice on paper to locate a WHL team. Having a team here would the NHL equivalent of locating a team in Honolulu."
My husband's stupid record collection
"Where I listen to my husband's record collection, one record at a time, and tell you what I think."Victoria considers the toughest smoking bylaw in Canada
Earlier this week I was joking that the future of tobacco and marijuana was neighbourhood smoke pits for adults. Meanwhile, in Victoria....
Raising a moral child
How do you raise a moral child? Ff they do bad, tell them their actions are bad. If they do good, tell them they are good. Fascinating research.
A better axe
A Finnish inventor says he's found a way not only to make axes more efficient, but safer, too. By the way, he's going to be on Daybreak this Monday at 6:45.
Ben Heppner retires
He went to school in Dawson Creek around the same time as my parents, so it's weird that one of the most famous opera singers of our time is only a couple degrees of separation away from me. Then again, he works for CBC now, so I there's another connection. Also on Daybreak this week (Wednesday, I believe).
My fight to end gendered happy meal toys
Some people might not think this is a big deal, but I'd argue it is. Well done.
Fingersnapping Super Mario
'Nuff said.
Vine of the week:
Protip: play fetch over a hill to tire out your dog sooner
Hope you're having a great spring,
Andrew
