It's My Life

I've been an Alberta resident for nearly nine months now, which is certainly more than long enough to get to know a thing or two about a province. Now while I have been trying hard to make the most out of my life in small town living on the flatlands, I still have a desire to be back in B.C. I find myself talking to Albertans about life in B.C. frequently, and have even been telling any of them who haven't seen much of life on the other side of the Rockies to explore it. Certain things about this province have annoyed me so much I've decided to face off the two provinces and give you my personal winners on some categories of interest.

1. The Economy: Winner = Alberta
Growth is ridiculous in this province and many places continually struggle to land skilled workers. The demand for trades workers on the prairies remains really high, while fast-food restaurants in places like Fort McMurray are paying like $16/hr. or something like that. In addition, apparently the Alberta government has passed legislation that allows individuals as young as 12 to work in fast food. In B.C., the Olympics are helping that province turnaround, but places like Prince George have struggled. A lot can change between now and 2010 however.
Alcohol: Winner = Alberta
It's cheaper, and privatized, meaning you don't have to look for government liquor stores or cold beer and wine stores. Rather, I can go to the Superstore Liquor Store in Red Deer and get a flat of Kokanee for like $30. They also have Presidents Choice beer for even cheaper and about $1 a beer, but that doesn't taste so well.
The Weather: Winner = British Columbia
The winds, the unpredictability, the snow, this province has it all. While I'm not saying at all that B.C.'s weather is stable, it doesn't seem to change as drastically. That, and B.C. has the Okanagan where the weather is hot in the summer, and the coast, where it hardly snows.
Sports: Winner = British Columbia
Okay, Alberta isn't bad in the sports department, but when it comes to performance in all sports, I give B.C. the edge. Sure, Alberta has produced some quality hockey players and rodeo stars, in fact more than B.C. has. I find ice sports like hockey to be popular on the prairies, as well as rodeo, and even football, but outside those three, it doesn't seem to compare.
Put the best Alberta baseball, basketball or even soccer players against those of B.C. and I give B.C. the edge. Keep in mind I'm not basing this entirely on performance, this is based on sports opportunities, B.C. offers more of it. You can't do much surfing in Alberta, not as many nice lakes for watersports, and minus Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise, less mountains for snowboarding.
Scenery: Winner = British Columbia
This is a no brainer. Unless you consider looking at the mountains from Calgary nice then you can't call the scenery in this province nice. You can only actually see the mountains in a relatively small portion of Alberta, while B.C. is surrounded by them, not to mention many climate zones.
The people: Winner = British Columbia
Now this is a close call, as I don't have problems getting along with anybody. But I have enjoyed the company of people back home more. Why? You grow up in a province as multicultural as B.C. and you tend to be a little more open minded. Alberta, on the other hand, is predominantly white Caucasian although it's turning around in Calgary and Edmonton a little. What this results in is a province with very similar beliefs among individuals and more close minded people. This can make it difficult for those with different beliefs to move and settle in Alberta.

That's all I have for now, That's a 4-2 victory for B.C. if my math is correct. Did I mention that it'll cost me a fortune to insure my car in Alberta, so I'm going to re-insure my car under my parents B.C. address? I'm actually planning on going back to B.C. at some point so I can afford to push it a little longer. I'm spent. Time to call it a night.

READY TO START TAKING CONTROL

Since I've been in Lacombe, I feel I've made progress with my life. I'm starting to look into the whole sports event management career option more seriously, while trying to figuring out what I really want to do with myself for the rest of my life. But on top of that, I'm starting to get involved with organizations in town and am no longer just a writer. I'm versatile, I can do other things.

While for the most part my involvement with the community has been with my writing and photography for the Lacombe Globe, it's not all I've done. On top of taking photos for Lacombe Minor Hockey, I'm starting to coach volleyball. Actually I just started, my first practice was tonight. I'm taking over for my former co-worker James (who now works at the Medicine Hat News) .

Now coaching young males in Grades 5 to 7 isn't as easy as it seems. In fact, I had the help of a friend which took a little of the load off. But I'm glad I had that help tonight, because it'll only make me stronger down the road. Coaching is something I'd always wanted to get into, so tonight could be the start of something I hope.

I feel these experiences will only help me down the road if I do decide to take sports event management. It has me feeling confident about my future. I don't mind writing, it's just not what I want to do with the rest of my life. There's certain things about being a print journalist that just don't sit with me, and as a result I feel I'll never be as good as I can be. A major one is sitting around in front of a computer, well actually sitting around in general. I don't mind it to an extent, but I'm the type of person who needs to be doing something more, I like being out on the scene and in the centre of attention. I can't handle just observing things all the time. I want to, and am ready to, start taking more control. Basically what I'd like to become is the person in the articles and not the person writing them. It's too bad it's taken me so long to realize all this, but I know that the writing and people skills I've developed as a writer will only help me down any road anyways. I suppose if I spent more time in Kamloops sober and not partying 24/7 and working two other jobs on top of school I might have seen that more. I think working in a small town was good that way. It has opened my eyes more.

ANOTHER WORK WEEK UNDERWAY

Man, weekends continue to fly by fast even when they're relatively low key. This past weekend wasn't that eventful at all. I went to the pub after work Friday then went home for the night. Saturday was the most eventful day. I bought another digital camera to accompany the one I already have. I wanted a point-and-shoot that could fit in my pocket, something that would be perfect for parties and get togethers. I bought the Nikon Coolpix 4600 from London Drugs in Red Deer. It was a fairly good deal and came with a two-year warranty, so I figured why not. I also bought a pair of jeans from Gap at the Bower Mall in Red Deer. I got a second cheque for $1,200 from Lacombe Minor Hockey so I figured the least I could do is spend a portion for my own enjoyment. I'm still not high rolling, but what's a little digital camera and a pair of jeans.

Saturday night I went to my cousin Kevin's place to watch Hockey Night in Canada. As usual, the Leafs lost. I'm thinking one of these days I'll do a post entirely on Toronto and why they aren't successful this season. But that would be like a novel, there's so many reasons why they aren't strong this season. I hope they trade Eddie Belfour at the trade deadline, he's washed up. Pat Quinn's time is running out too.

Sunday I had a girl come up to visit me from Calgary, then was going to see another girl in Ponoka but I was too tired. I guess I'm still a little like the bachelor of old. He's coming back again, but I might as well have fun. I'm still single and not tied down yet.

In other news:
- a new reporter has been hired at the Lacombe Globe, a female from Lloydminister. My publisher and editor already warned her about me apparently because she works across from me. I'm harmless though, come on now.
- my parents are planning for their annual trip to Reno, which outta be a lot of fun. More fun than Lacombe I imagine.
- I've set another weekend to go to Edmonton. I'm heading north for the March 24-26 weekend. Included in that stop will be a Hockey Night in Canada night at my cousin's in Sherwood Park which will include a little Texas Hold 'Em Poker.
- I'm also planning another trip to Prince George to get my all-season tires put on my car and my winter tires off. I'm thinking of possibly going for the weekend of my 24th birthday (April 29).
- I'm into the final month countdown for the Motley Crue Carnival of Sins concert in Red Deer. The concert is scheduled for April 5.