P to the G

here's the first update /photo dump from my trip. i arrived in prince george on monday morning and got to the workshop at 10. when did the workshop start? 10 am. ha ha.

anyhoo - the roundtable was grrrrr-eat. the people were amazing, the mood was pretty casual and we got a lot of great stuff going. we also played disc golf on the new course in p.g. where i learned that i should not quit my day job and become a professional disc golf player. i actually almost took out someone behind me. (really, i was just doing it so the group would have a central joke. yes, that's it.)

after work, i dumped my stuff and watched some cable tv in the hotel room as a cold snuck in and threatened to overtake me. but a good dinner, and some company with some of the folks from the Roundtable in the hotel bar helped stave it off and made for a great evening.

yesterday, went to a regional meeting for work and met some more great people and had a tour of the new northern sports complex. it's HUGE! 2 indoor soccer pitches and a gym with 3 basketball courts. (saw some workers installing the seats on the bleachers, which i realized is something i take completely for granted). and then there's a track above it all. it's nice, but i felt bad for jenn, leone and lo since it's here after they have left. it also felt weird to be up at UNBC where the 3 of them have spent so much time when they're not here.

after the meeting, we went to the art gallery and saw 2 great shows. then my 2 other co-workers flew home, and i toodled around p.g. on my lonesome which was FUN. i walked around and hit the local yarn shop (leone - did you go to darlene's? was that your wool hook-up? her dog is sooooo cute) and then like any sane traveller, i went to the railyard and took pictures. (mom - it was bright out, i felt safe and didn't go play amongst the trains, merely took pics of them).

so after this long winded post, here are my impressions of p.g. (those of you who have lived here, feel free to comment):
* it's pretty - all of the cottonwoods are GLOWING yellow.
* they actually experience this thing called "fall" which causes all of the ontario cells in my body to react and feel like i am somewhat at home
* pine beetle sucks - they had to cut back most of the park where we played disc golf because of the devastation.
* capitalism doesn't work and resource economies are fickle things - despite the riches of the forestry industry, there is so much poverty here and so many systems in place to exploit the poor. bars are loaded with video lottery and horse racing betting machines.
* i could see how it could get stinkin' cold here. this morning it's 2 degrees. yikes, and yet, i LOVE it.

there you have it. pics to come in the next post. off to cranbrook today (via calgary - it's so weird - leave the province to come back).
i'm having fun being away and meeting all of these great people. gotta run and go work out at gold's gym before my butt and brain explode from too much TV watching. and really, who comes up with the crap on TV these days? although i am LOVING watching music videos (although the new james blunt makes me want to stick skewers in my ears).