Pan-Canadian

Yes CJ, its story time with Gerry again.

I recently was chatting with the owner of the company I work for, and allowed him the opportunity to opine; “Is there anywhere you haven’t lived?” I have lived in, in order; Montréal, Ottawa, Gloucester (really part of Ottawa), Guelph, Whitby, Scarborough, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and finally North Vancouver. The first 7 cities are no more than 6 hours apart.

This may seem like a lot of moving to some of you, but not us. For those of you who don’t know me, my wife Nita works for a national organization, and has been transferred around the country a bit. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not complaining at all. Nita is the center of my being. She is my soul-mate and my one true love. My dedication to her has no bounds.

Moving has not been a sacrifice; it has been an adventure. It has always been a memorable adventure, because it is something we have experienced together. These are adventures that have made our lives exciting. These are experiences that I would not trade for anything, because of the wonderful woman Nita is.

Some of my friends in the past have felt pity for me, having to look for a new job in a new city, but this is part of the adventure. I was once convinced that I was going to retire with Pitney Bowes, as a 40-year career man. Unfortunately, the company and my superior (in job title ONLY) felt the need to eliminate my position. I have discovered since then that my skills & abilities are what companies are looking for.

But coming back to the discussion at hand, Nita’s employer has moved us from Toronto to Calgary, then to Edmonton, and now Vancouver. Calgary is a lovely city, and while we were there I was able to reunite with 2 old friends; one a high school chum, John, and Jim, an old kindergarten mate.

We were in Calgary for about a year-and-a-half. Chinooks were interesting, and I saw snow in every calendar month except July. Even so, we still enjoyed Calgary.

Edmonton is an interesting city, and one I probably enjoyed more than most other people would have. Nita’s family is there, and it was home because of that. I wasn’t welcomed into the family, nor was I treated like one of the family, I was family.

My daughters, from a previous marriage, are definitely family. Amanda, my eldest daughter, on a visit to Edmonton, informed someone who asked her about a piece of jewelry, explained that she had received it from her aunt, Nita’s sister. When I recounted the story to my wife, and then her sister later, there were a few tears. You might say it got a little dusty (I must credit Adam & Matty from one of my favorite podcasts, Filmspotting). But I stray once more.

Edmonton is one of the better cities in Canada to be a hockey fan. I, however, stopped following hockey when Ken Dryden retired, and moved to Edmonton long after Gretzky left.

A city, whose good winters contain about 15 or 20 nights were the nighttime low bottoms out below -40C is a really cold city. I had 2 winters where the count was over 30 nights below -40C; that was about 3 winters too many! So, off to Vancouver then!

When comparing the 2 winters, Edmonton and Vancouver (which my sister-in-law called “Mordor” last winter), I think I favor wet over white.

It was pointed out to me, on more than one occasion, that Vancouver winters are grey and it rains frequently. As well, when there is snow, people are incapable of driving on slippery streets. This is true. I have seen buses sliding sideways with 2 cm of snow, on hills that my 84-year-old mother could tackle on her bicycle!

Our first winter here was not as advertised. We had 3 December storms that each dumped about a foot of snow. How very Canadian to use both metric & British measurements in neighboring paragraphs.

We have been reliably informed by many of the long-time British Columbians that our back-to-back too-hot summers, as well as last winters snow-fest are an aberration. The previous winter in Edmonton, the snow banks on my driveway were taller than me before Christmas. So, if this is the worst you can throw at us, I can’t wait for normal.

I’ve been told to be truly Canadian you must define distances in how long it takes to drive. DONE.
You must use both the British & Metric system in a single discussion. DONE.
You must bitch about the weather. DONE!

I have been told to be truly pan-Canadian, you have to pan Canada. Sorry folks, not going to happen here. To quote Jakov Smirnoff’s old stand-up act “I love this country!!!”

Cheers folks.