Hello everyone,

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ve been super busy! First of all my basement where I lived flooded. We started to have some mold problems, and the land lord did not want to deal with it. Well, it seems the city does not want to deal with it either. So we’ve sealed up the bedroom, and are constantly on the look out for a new place… which is hard to do in Calgary. I’ve started my second year at SAIT. Only 1 more year… then I get that magical diploma!

And my freelancing business has started to pick up! 3 new clients in the last month! 2 of them will be on an ongoing basis. If you are interested in my graphic design, check out http://www.kinchdesigns.ca (Website is a bit outdated… not too good of an impression to leave on my potential clients… but I’m too busy to update it :P)

I’m also working Part-Time. The place I worked at during the summer allowed me to stay on during the school year. It’s only 8 hours a week… but when you got so much going on, those 8 hours can seem like a drag. But it’s good money.

And politically… I’m helping Brian Pincott, who is running for ward 11 here in Calgary on October 15th, with his website. I’m not designing it this time, but I’m getting it on the web. And a provincial election will probably be called in November! Fun! I may need to take a rest though… but an election is hard to stay away from!

Oh, and I need to stop delaying getting my passport! This weekend, I swear.

Till next time,
Tyler

Only a few of you will know what this post actually means.

Last week I attended an awards show, as Kathleen was receiving a scholarship here in Calgary. Kathleen had to leave back to Fort Saskatchewan after the event, so after saying my goodbyes, I boarded the C-Train. There was a guy in front of me, that I must have done something to, because he kept on giving me strange looks.

So from the downtown core, all the way to Chinook Station, I kept my head down, and when I would glance up, this guy was still staring at me angrily. I just ignored him, and totally forgot about him by the time I got to Chinook Station. As I stood up to get off the train, the guy gave me a light punch in the side. It didn’t hurt at all, but it was a punch. I get off the train and look behind me, and he is following me and hear him mutter “Fucking four-eyes!”

I got my glasses 3 years ago now. The only time I was ever self-conscious wearing them was at first, because they were new. I wasn’t afraid of people looking at me any differently; it was more just always being aware of them because they were new. I never, in my life, thought I would be insulted because of my glasses, maybe if I had them in elementary school. But the insult came from some totally random 40 year-old-ish stranger on the C-Train. My feelings aren’t hurt but I’m still shocked I heard those words come out of a grown man.

Furthermore when I got off the train, another train was coming into the platform. I stayed away from the edge… who knows if he would have pushed me. I’m still curious about how I pissed him? Oh well.

Thanks Berlynn for your suggestion on where I should travel on my possible cross country trip. I’m still deciding on whether or not I will be doing this. The positives are that it will probably be a long time before I have the chance to do something like this again, and I will learn more about Canada. The negatives are the costs other than the flights (I’m getting the flights for dirt cheap). I’d really have to budget for it, and try and stay at other people’s houses when I could or find really great hostels. School is another concern… but I don’t have classes on Mondays, so I could still do this with only missing a class or two every once in a while, which I am sure I could catch up on. I’ll let you all know when I decide.

Anyways I’ve had a couple of emails from people asking me where I can fly to. Below is a list, so if you are suggesting somewhere that’s outside of these urban centers, let me know of a good way to get there. I don’t drive, so renting a car will not be possible, but I am willing to bus to a few areas if they are worth visiting.

BC:
Abbotsford (BC) – YXX
Campbell River (BC) – YBL
Castlegar (BC) – YCG
Comox (BC) – YQQ
Cranbrook (BC) – YXC
Ft. Nelson (BC) – YYE
Ft. St. John (BC) - YXJ
Kamloops (BC) – YKA
Kelowna (BC) - YLW
Nanaimo (BC) - YCD
Penticton (BC) – YYF
Prince George (BC) - YXS
Prince Rupert (BC) – YPR
Quesnel (BC) - YQZ
Sandspit (BC) – YZP
Smithers (BC) – YYD
Terrace (BC) – YXT
Vancouver (BC) - YVR
Victoria (BC) – YYJ
Williams Lake (BC) – YWL

Alberta:
Calgary (AB) - YYC
Edmonton (AB) – YEG
Ft. McMurray (AB) – YMM
Grande Prairie (AB) – YQU
Lethbridge (AB) – YQL
Medicine Hat (AB) - YXH

Saskatchewan:
Regina (SK) - YQR
Saskatoon (SK) – YXE

Manitoba:
Winnipeg (MB) – YWG

Ontario:
Hamilton (ON) – YHM
Kingston (ON) – YGK
London (ON) – YXU
North Bay (ON) – YYB
Ottawa (ON) – YOW
Sarnia (ON) – YZR
Sault Ste. Marie (ON) – YAM
Sudbury (ON) – YSB
Thunder Bay (ON) - YQT
Timmins (ON) - YTS
Toronto Pearson (ON) – YYZ
Windsor (ON) - YQG

Quebec:
Bagotville (PQ) - YBG
Baie Comeau (PQ) – YBC
Gaspe (PQ) – YGP
Iles de la Madeleine (PQ) – YGR
Mont Joli (PQ) – YYY
Montreal Trudeau (PQ) – YUL
Quebec City (PQ) – YQB
Rouyn-Noranda (PQ) – YUY
Sept-Iles (PQ) – YZV
Val d’Or (PQ) – YVO

Newfoundland:
Deer Lake (NF) – YDF
Gander (NF) - YQX
Goose Bay (NF) – YYR
St. John’s (NF) – YYT
Wabush (NF) - YWK

New Brunswick:
Bathurst (NB) – ZBF
Fredericton (NB) – YFC
Moncton (NB) – YQM
Saint John (NB) – YSJ

Nova Scotia:
Halifax (NS) – YHZ
Sydney (NS) - YQY

Prince Edward Island:
Charlottetown (PE) - YYG

Yukon:
Whitehorse (YT) – YXY

NWT:
Yellowknife (NT) - YZF

Ok, I may be able to fly anywhere in Canada on the weekends in January and February. I’ve never really visited anywhere in Canada before more west then Vancouver… and more east then Calgary as I don’t have the money to travel.

I’m already planning on going to Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec and the Maritimes on one of the longer periods of time… but I would like some suggestions on where else I can go… and also what to do when I am there.

The flights will be covered, so that will not be a problem but I will be on a really tight budget for Accommodations, so any tips on good hotels, hostels, food, and what not would also be appreciated.

I hope I can do this, and blog about it while I’m traveling. Thanks in advance for all your tips. Maybe I will even be able to visit some other bloggers/readers on my journies.