The End

It's my last day of work with Sun Media Interactive here in St. Catharines, Ontario; my last few hours in fact. I couldn't be more content right now. I'm going to have about 10 days of travel and leisure before I start my new super-cool job in Winnipeg that I'm really excited for. Going to Toronto tonight to see an old friend and to watch the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, last visit with some family over the weekend, pick up two of my cousins on Sunday, hang out and have fun on Monday, go to Canada's Wonderland on Tuesday and make myself sick with roller coasters, then start the drive back home on Wednesday. Should be a stellar week!

Church Music continued

I thought I would add a few thoughts about worship, to clarify, and also just some more ideas that have come up in the last couple of days.

I guess first I should say that I maybe shouldn't have put my thoughts about worship at certain more traditional CRC churches in the same blog post as those lyrics from Jon Foreman. I feel that the worship at these churches is far from what is described in this song.

I've been thinking about passion in worship lately. I think a lack of passion in worship plagues most churches, whether it be a traditional CRC or a contemporary community church, or an emerging home church. A passion for excellence, a passion for the musician's craft, a passion for something better, a passion for change, a passion for worship.

I know that's hard; I speak from experience, but I'm sick of people who don't care enough to practice, and I'm sick of people who discuss change and passion and worship, but don't care enough to step up.

Anyways, this is something that I care about, but it's something that I prefer not to debate, because it's one of those things that seems endless, and in the end, my best solution is get up there and show my passion.

Local News

Here's just one example of the type of news that I've been working with on a regular basis:

Meat Theft

"Chicken breasts fell out of a Tillsonburg man's pants after security guards confronted him this weekend in the parking lot of the Norfolk Mall.Security staff at the Zehrs Food Plus Market observed a man concealing the meat beneath his clothing Saturday morning. He then walked past cashiers without attempting to pay.

"A Zehrs security guard approached the man in the parking lot and informed him he was under arrest for theft. The man attempted to leave but was restrained by the security guard and the store manager. That's when the chicken breasts fell out of his pants.Norfolk OPP report James McElhone, 26, has been charged with possession of property obtained by crime worth less than $5,000 and theft of property worth less than $5,000."

Football Game

I took my uncle to the airport in Hamilton on Friday night. He's off to Montreal for the weekend. Since I was in the city, I figured I would check out the football game. I managed to score a pretty sweet ticket for $30 from a very nice gentleman on the street (I guess they have a roving box office in Hamilton). Didn't really care who won, just wanted to enjoy an absolutely beautiful summer evening and some entertaining football. 

Photo of me in the lousiest stadium I've ever been in (even worse than Saskatchewan)

That's a pretty big flag, I guess..... I've seen bigger.

At Home

It was POURING rain this morning when it was time to go to work, so I decided to work from home today. All my work is over the internet, and my phone calls are being forwarded to my cell phone (if I happened to get one, which is highly unlikely).

I figured I would maybe go into the office later in the day, but it's almost 1:00 (and I'm done at 3:00), and the day has just flown by. Maybe I'll have to do this again in my last week of work here.....

The End, Music, Church

I suppose it's been a while. I've had a lot on my mind over the last couple of weeks. I got a new job back in Winnipeg. I'm really excited about this new job, it seems like a really great place to work, plus I really wasn't liking the one I have in St. Catharines. But, I have enjoyed living out here. But, I also miss some things about Winnipeg.

I've been thinking about music lately.... Well, I guess I'm always thinking about music, but I've been thinking about music in churches lately. Maybe it's because of the very interesting experience of leading a couple of songs at Providence CRC in Beamsville last Sunday. Or perhaps it's because I've now been asked to sing next Sunday at Covenant CRC in St. Catharines (yup, I'm on a CRC tour right now... good thing I'm leaving in two weeks).

I don't want to sound like a music snob. And I did enjoy playing at Providence on Sunday (mind you, it was just me, so not much to deal with). And it's not that I want things louder, or rockier, or anything like that. I'm a fan of the hymns, of the organ, all that stuff, but it's difficult to put my finger on what makes me cringe about worship at these churches....

I've been listening to Jon Foreman's eps lately. Don't judge him based on his past musical sins, but he was the front man of Switchfoot. His solo stuff is this wonderfully intimate singer-songwriter style, with some great world music sounds thrown in (chinese strings, spanish horns, etc). He's kinda in the same line as Derek Webb; somebody that was the Christian music scene for a number of years, and now sings about some more real issues.

Anyways, I was really hit by his song, "Instead of a Show" off his Summer EP. Here's some of the lyrics:

I hate all your show and pretense

the hypocrisy of your praise

the hypocrisy of your festivals

I hate all your show

Away with your noisy worship

Away with your noisy hymns

I stop up my ears when your singing ‘em

I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice

An endless procession of righteous living, living

Instead let there be a flood of justice

Instead of a show

your eyes are closed when you’re praying

you sing right along with the band

you shine up your shoes for services

but there’s blood on your hands

you turned your back on the homeless

and the ones that don’t fit in your plans

quit playing religion games

there’s blood on your hands

It blows me away that this is the same guy that was in Switchfoot for all those years.

Gum

I accidently bought vanilla mint trident yesterday.

It's gross.

The Weekend

Winnipeg was good last weekend, except for my car getting broken into and my computer bag being stolen. I bought a new computer yesterday. I'd take a picture, but my camera was taken too. The wedding was really great, and it was nice to hang out with all the Winnipeggers again.

Winnipeg, Tomorrow, Sweet.

Flying to Winnipeg tomorrow! Here's a list of things I'm looking forward to doing when I'm there:

1. Hanging out with family and friends
2. Sleeping past 6:00 a.m.
3. Not being at work
4. Having a good coffee (Starbucks is even crap here. You would think that's regulated or something, but I've had really bad coffee on a couple of occasions at Starbucks here, plus when I ask people where I can find a good coffee shop, the answer is always, "Well, there's a Tim's just down the road.")
5. 7-11 Slurpee on a warm summer day
6. Playing some music with the family
7. Going to King's Head on Sunday night maybe? And Winnipeg Jazz Fest for a bit in Old Market Square? Moses Mayes closes it down on Sunday, should be stellar.
8. Gelati
9. The wedding where we'll all have a super-awesome time celebrating!

Music

I picked up the new Coldplay album last week, Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends. It's pretty good I guess. There is a couple of good songs, but overall: meh (mind you, that's what I said just after their last album). I'm more interested in how they would pull off most of those songs live. I think this is perhaps their most produced album to date, a lot of layered tracks, symphonic bits, and digitalizing, which is cool, but I would hope that live they could still fill out that sound. Anyways, if you're a Coldplay fan, you would probably like it.

Beyond that though. I'm so over that album, I've moved on since then. I'm on a big Stars craze right now. I know their last album was released last year, but I keep coming back to them. I heard a few tracks of theirs on CBC Radio 3 the other day, and was prompted to dig out my album from deep in a box. To this day, still impressed. The various constructs of Broken Social Scene continue to wow me. If you consider yourself a fan of Canadian Indie music (or Indie music in general), you need to know who Broken Social Scene is, and all their related projects, bands and artists.

Sunday Afternoon

Biggest mistake of my weekend?

Saying "Yes"

In response to, "Did you want to see a few pictures from out trip to Europe last year?"


That's two and a half hours I won't be getting back.

In which Eric explains that he doesn't blog much and what keeps him busy

I know you get your hopes up every time you click on that favourite link labelled "Eric" or "The Civil Twilight" or "Best Blogger Ever", but then each and every time over the last nine days, your hopes have been hopelessly dashed. I have news for you: I'm not very good at blogging. (well, maybe the writing bit, but the regular part, not so well)

What's new since then?
- Pretty bored/unchallenged at work, things won't change much with that, so I'm kinda snooping around for something new.
- Pretty full weekend: hung out with some of the Wikkerinks on Friday, pool party on Saturday, Oma and Opa's on Sunday afternoon.
- Bought the new mario kart a couple days ago. It's wicked sweet.
- Been watching Holland dominate at Euro 2008. They're gonna win it all.
- I'm tired. Actually, I feel more tired lately than I've been in a long time. I think the early mornings are slowly killing me. I try to go to bed on time, but earlier than 11:00 just doesn't seem right. I figure 7 hours of sleep should be enough. Maybe I'm just not cut out for 6:00 am starts. Or maybe it's the boring days that are making me tired. All I know is that if I let myself go, I think I could probably sleep away an entire day right now.

In addition: One more week and I'll be flying to Winnipeg. I'm pretty pumped for that.

The Other Side

When I decided to move away from my home in Winnipeg to the relatively unknown that is St. Catharines, I never imagined it would be easy. I worried about finding my way around this new place, about finding friends, about being bored, about being comfortable, but I have discovered those are the least of my worries.

I can't say that I have felt homesick yet, although I am only about four weeks in. There are things I miss about Winnipeg: family, friends, good coffee, church, summer weekends, decent movie theatres, but I think it's mostly a longing for the known.

I like being out in Ontario. Seeing new things, meeting new people, spending time with my family out here; that has all been great.

Never once when I was planning my move out here did I wonder, "what if I don't like my job?"

It seemed like I had done the homework, asked the right questions, researched what the company does.... In the end, I'm finding myself unhappy with my job. Again, I know I'm only four weeks into the job, but I'm getting frustrated with the same things that made me want to leave my last job: Being secluded, little or no interaction with people (my co-workers are 500 kms away), being entirely alone for the 8 hours that I'm working. In fact, I'm more secluded than I was in my last job, there were at least people in the office next to me, and I'd see people at lunch at the very least.... Not so here.

So I find myself wondering about the green grass on the other side.

Random Thoughts

- No NHL for four months. Good thing football starts up in a few weeks to keep me going.

- I'm wearing a shirt today with really thick buttons. Like 1/4" thick, seriously, I measured.

- Been quite busy at work this week. Mostly training now-web people how to use a web-based photo tool that is not in the least bit intuitive.

- I worked the Saturday shift last weekend, which means I'm done work at 11:00 tomorrow morning. Now I just need to find something awesome to do in the afternoon.

- Jaela (my cousin Larissa's baby) was born on Monday. Hooray! Haven't seen her yet, but maybe this weekend or something? That would be sweet.

- As of today I've been in Ontario for three weeks. Three more weeks and I'll be back in Winnipeg for 5 days.

- Spent pretty much all day Sunday with the Wikkerinks. Thinking back, we really didn't do too much other than visit, eat, play a couple of games, but the day seemed to fly by for me.

- Not much else happening. Just working lots, trying to stay awake after that.

Read this post, answer a question (or more)

It feels like it's time for an update.... (1. how often should I update?)

This week has been my first real week of work in my office (2. what should I do to jazz up my boring office?) doing actual stuff other than training. I'm trying to have a good attitude about the early mornings, but waking up at 6:00 am is not my thing. It would be better if I actually left the office at 3:00 like I'm supposed to, but it's been busy these first couple of days with meetings being planned in the afternoong that seem to extend past my ability to concentrate (3. how does Eric stay awake in a meeting after being up early and working for 8 hours?)

Still in a conundrum about where to live. I guess I have some ideal place imagined in my head that will never be a reality. I guess all I want is a room to myself with a bed and a desk, and a house with other people that I actually know. (4. Where should I live?)

It was hot on Sunday and Monday, now it's cold again. (no question associated with that)

I've been living with my Aunt Marg and Uncle Andy; they have cable, but only basic, which means no TSN, which means no Sportcentre. I've watched that show probably almost everyday for the last 4 or 5 years, and I am missing it right now. (5. What should Eric do without Sportcentre?) Plus, I've come to love the High Definition that I was fortunate to live with the last year or so. Hockey playoffs in regular TV just isn't the same, and related to both, I need a solution before football season gears up in the summer....

It seems I have spare time these days. Being up early means I have a couple of hours in the afternoon, and with less friends around here, not much of a social life right now. (6. What should I do with my spare time?)

It may be cold, but I think I want to go for a walk, and maybe an ice cream.

Place to Live

I've been looking for an apartment in St. Catharines, but feeling a little discouraged.

First, they cost a lot of money. If I was willing to live in a sketchy neighbourhood, or in a run-down buiding, then maybe I could get away with paying only $600-650 a month, but if I want a decent building in a decent neighbourhood I'd be easily paying $750 a month for a 1 bedroom. Not nice.

Also, based on my experience in Sudbury (see previous post) I realized that I don't think I want to live all on my own. It would be very nice to have roomates or something like that; unfortunately I don't really know anybody here that is also looking for a place, and I don't think I want to start looking at the random-people-I-don't-know-looking-for-a-roomate listings. Hmm. Maybe I'll pursue some possibilities with the family in the area.....

Sudbury

I had to spend this last week in Sudbury. That's where the head office is for the company I work for; I needed to be there for training. The job seems good, and I'm happy with the people I work with and for, but Sudbury is Lame (with a capital L).

First, being alone in a hotel room for three nights is not fun. I was done working everyday at 5:00, leaving about 7 hours to kill before going to bed. So I watched a couple of movies, took my time with dinner, watched tv, made phone calls, etc. It still sucks to be alone like that though.

It's nice to be back in St. Catharines.

May Long

I made it to St. Catharines just in time to relax over the long weekend.

Saturday night I hung out with some of the Wikkerink cousins plus friends. We wanted to go to some ghetto bowling alley in Grimsby, but it turns out it was closed, so we played pool instead. Still ended up being a pretty decent night. Caleb was along with us; it was his birthday. He was complaining and stuff, which I don't really understand. If I was his age and had the chance to go play pool and hang out with some of my older cousins and siblings for my birthday, I would have loved it.

Sunday I went to church at Covenant in St. Catharines (that's where most of the Postma side goes to church). Afterwards I went to hang out at the De Vries house. Mostly played Wii for the afternoon, then a wonderful steak for dinner, and then a little driving tour of the area hosted by Peter and Johnny.

Monday there was a little party; I think it was for me. Just a barbecue and joking around with cousins, lots of fun. We walked through Virgil later in the evening to go watch the fireworks for Victoria day. I wasn't expecting much from a small town like Virgil, but I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, the fireworks there kind of put the Winnipeg fireworks shows to shame.

I'm too tired right now to remember any of the really good details from the weekend.

The Long Journey

Wow, Ontario is giant. It just goes on and on for miles of unaltered terrain of trees and rocks and more trees and more rocks, with a few spots of lake. Because of some issues that I had to take care of at the car dealership in Winnipeg, I didn't get out of the city until about 11:30 on Thursday morning.

I had leased a brand new 2008 Honda Fit a couple of days before I left for Ontario. I love the car, it's quick, fun, new, reliable, and really versatile. I spent the beginning of the week packing up all my stuff; some for garbage, some for Tim, some for Value Village, and some to take along. Nicole balked at the idea that I would fit it all in my car, but the Fit did not disappoint, it all managed to make it in perfectly. Not much room for much else though.

I stopped first to fuel up in Ignace, Ontario. I almost had a heart attack when I found out that gas was $136.9 per litre, but after filling up the tank still only had to pay about $35. Not bad at all. Ontario's wilderness continued. I finally stopped for the night in Marathon, Ontario. I wanted to make it further that night, but it was late and raining and I was tired. So after a pit stop at the Travelodge that was on the highway for the night, I continued on. I left Marathon at 8:00 a.m. and drove like mad.

At about 8:30 p.m. I pulled into my Opa and Oma's place in Beamsville, where the family was celebrating Opa's 79th birthday. I hung out there for about a half hour before making the last jaunt to Virgil, where I had arranged to stay with my Uncle Andy and Aunt Marg.

So after a long journey, I crashed for the night, and took care of unpacking and all that stuff on Saturday morning.

Here's a map of the route through the barren wastelands of Norhern Ontario. About 2200 kms in total and about 24 hours of travel time (including stops and stuff like that)

The Beginning

I suppose it's time I started this thing. In May of 2008 I packed up my life in Winnipeg, Manitoba and set out on a new adventure. I was hired as a Regional Web Controller with Sun Media Interactive, working out of St. Catharines, Ontario.

I decided I should start blogging about my experiences because there are a fair number of people back home in Winnipeg (yes, Winnipeg is certainly still home) that are interested in what I'm up to on a day-to-day basis, also, I don't want to have to tell the same stories a dozen times over.

So, here is my life.