Tales from the Arctic

as one chapter ends ... another begins

2009-08-02T17:14:00.003-04:00

Hello readers!

Well, it is time. I have officially moved on over to my new blog Tales from the Yukon, which is coming to you in two forms: a low-bandwidth version hosted by blogger (for all of my bandwidth restricted readers) and a normal/high-bandwidth version hosted by Apple. Both sites will still have photos, but the Apple hosted site (through mobileme) will include videos and audio files and of course will also be hosting any photo album that I might post on both blogs.

So, please, update your bookmarks /news readers and I look forward to seeing you over at Tales from the Yukon!

"Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere"

2009-07-24T10:09:00.000-04:00

My parents arrived back in NB after a 8-week long trek across Canada. They traveled over 22,000 km and drove through 7 provinces and two territories. And of course, they took pictures.

And just to give me (and you readers) a glimpse of what I am about to travel/move to in 26 more sleeps:

The highway that will lead me to my new home

Look at those mountains ... and trees ....

The Great Canadian Moose

The road (type) that I will travel on many times while in the Yukon

More Photos from the Yukon taken on my parents trip.

This is why I love Summer

2009-07-08T16:25:00.002-04:00

Nothing is better than waking up in the morning and hiking on down to the local strawberry u-pick. Yummy yummy strawberries in my tummy! And raspberries are starting to come into swing too .. although no local ones yet to be found.

Hmm... edumacational choices

2009-07-06T21:24:00.003-04:00

Sigh, I love staring at curriculum documents! HA! Yeah right ... well not that my curriculum documents have been to much of a help either!

So I am enlisting the help of my readers. I have to do a novel study with my grade 5/6 group next year (and by the sounds of it I will be reading the book chapter by chapter to them) and I am trying to decide on a book to read to them for this group novel study.

Now, considering that I have no idea what is popular in the grade 5/6 range .. and I would also need a book that appeals to both girls and boys, this is what I've short listed so far:

1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2. James and the Giant Peach
3. Freak the Mighty
4. Charlottes Web

I would rather do a book that also has an accompanying movie that more or less goes with the book (as watching a video of a book is always a good thing too - especially since we can do some fun compare and contrast activities).

So .. this is my dilemma... do I do one of these four ... or does any one have any other suggestions of books that might work with this age group? Cause, I can't even remember what book I did in grade 5 ... I remember grade 4 .... but not 5.

Summer Va-cay-cay

2009-07-06T20:58:00.004-04:00

Ahh summer vacation .. the time of relaxation and baking under the sun .. if we had any sun, and if I had any time to relax. So far my summer vacation has been full of getting ready to move to the Yukon. Now you wouldn't think that this would be a difficult thing to do right? Wrong. Trying having to purchase almost everything imaginable to set up a household ... well .. almost everything. Some things I am just gonna have to do without until I get settled in ... and others well.. are a must - no matter what.

And yes, I know I haven't been blogging as much either .. this is because a) there really isn't anything much to blog about other than I got a really good deal on a microwave from Wal-Mart and that b) I just really haven't had anything big to blog about for the past four weeks.

Four weeks .. a month of my summer vacation is already gone! Where on earth did the time go??!! And in six short weeks I'm going to be making my 12 hour trek through the air to Whitehorse! Holy Crapola!

One week out

2009-06-16T15:11:00.003-04:00

Well, I've been out of the North for one week now ... and boy does it feel strange. The temperatures down here in the south have either been nice and chilly (the way I like it) or disgustingly hot and humid .. well.. to me at least. To everyone else it's just normal early summer weather.

I haven't gotten too much accomplished during my first week out. Sure I managed to buy a new TV and mattress for the Yukon .. and i've done a crap load of laundry (now that I don't have to worry about running out of water halfway through a load) .. and I've picked up my Wii (need entertainment for the North ya know ... besides, it will be benefiting more than just me - ready for Wii weekends Kara??).

I've managed to dig my way through some of the paper work that GYT has sent me ... boy can they make the paper work any more confusing. I've been attaching post-it notes to all papers saying that part of it has already been forwarded to Teacher Recruitment (ie: my CRC and VS .. as it was easier to just run over to the RCMP in Arctic Bay than it would be trying to convince the RCMP down here that I need them not the Fredericton Police to run it).

And I've also managed to book my seat for the flight up to Whitehorse - to which Air Canada better not have a seat sale between now and then or I will be royally ticked off .. although, I did score one of the last two seats on the flight to Toronto to catch the connecting flight to Calgary then to Whitehorse .. so I guess in the end, it worked out. Oh, and of course, I took up Michael's suggestion of the Midnight Sun B&B for the 18&19 and will most likely be crashing at Michael and Fawn's the 20-22 (unless the GYT has arranged for hotels for us new to the Yukon teachers .. as there is this orientation thingy that we have to attend).

Oh, and I've even started repacking and organizing stuff that I'm taking with me to the Yukon ... at least what I brought home and already have in boxes here at the apartment ... looks like this weekend .. or maybe next week will be the dig through the storage locker to red sticker everything that I am taking with me (now if only I could find a volunteer who would like to watch me go completely insane while I decide what I should and shouldn't bring with me to the Yukon ... any takers? Anyone??!!)

Well, must get back to staring at this bus schedule ... gotta figure out how to get myself around this town with no vehicle for the summer (which I might add sucks purple monkey balls) .. but at least my truck will be waiting for me in Whitehorse when I arrive (yeah!).

Travel Update

2009-06-09T17:42:00.006-04:00

Well, it has been a long day s far. I've been up for over 13 hours now (yeah, I know ... got to love it when you only get four hours of sleep the night before 12 hours of flying / airport jockying). And this fog that rolled in late last night was of NO help:

And then of course, there was the grey, overcast, crappy skies of this morning with more fog rolling in over the hills. This really put us all (at least the 7 of us who were heading out today) on pins and needles. We were ... well.. quite anxious to get out. I was more so anxious to get out as I haven't been back home in almost 10 months, and because I need to start coordinating my move to the Yukon!

But, by some large stroke of luck, the skies over Nanisivik were nice and clear (well.. as clear as they could be) and the plane landed (yeah!!!) and then whisked us all off to Iqaluit. And of course, Iqaluit was busy as usual with many flights all landing at the same time with 70% of those passengers heading to Ottawa on the two flights bound south. Out flight was filled with teachers from all over North Baffin (us lucky schools who finish early in the year).

So, that now brings me to now. Where I am slowly getting back in touch with reality, Internet (whoop-whoop! Free Wi-Fi!!! I was able to download an iTunes album in 5 minutes! Not two hours! It was great!). And OMG - I am drinking the most wonderful hazelnut latte from Second Cup right now. You have no idea how tasty this drink is to my taste buds. I am in heaven right now.

Well, Kate and OJ are now somewhere's in the air heading to Toronto ... Monty and Elizabeth are boarding their flight to Halifax, and I'm sitting here at Gate 19 waiting for my flight to board.. which should be soon. Not too sure where April and Nick went, but they did pass by here a couple of minutes ago.

Well, I guess that is all for now ... at least until I get home to NB.

On the Road Again .... er .. In the Air Again ..

2009-06-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

Well, if everything went according to plan this morning, I should be in the air by the time this post publishes itself. Today, I am heading back to the homeland. Back to the land of maple syrup, lobster and Alpine. Home Sweet Home New Brunswick. Am I excited? uh... YES! I didn't get down to NB this year for Christmas as well ... 5000$ for 6 days down south just didn't seem to worth it. So I elected to stay up here in the North again for the holiday season.... and am REALLY looking forward heading home for 10 weeks.

But today, oh today. I am in a plane, heading for Iqaluit and then heading to Ottawa, and then to Fredericton, NB. How nice it is going to be to put my feel on maritime soil. To run them through the thick green blades of grass that will be welcoming be back.

As much as I am excited to be going back to NB and then onto the Yukon, I am also sad about leaving Arctic Bay. I have called this small, remote northern community home for two years now. It feels strange to be leaving. But, I have a feeling, this isn't the last of Kennie in Nunavut.

Well ... here's hoping I make it back to NB today ...

And the year draws to a close

2009-06-05T15:02:00.005-04:00

Wow. End of the school year. It's hard to believe that the school year is done today ... in 35 minutes to be exact. At 3:35 pm, students will say their final farewells to the teachers for the summer (although I am sure we will see many of them over the weekend before they head out onto the land for some summer camping). It also marks the end of many "tour of duty" (as we have been affectionately calling it). There are some big changes on the way for Inuujaq School and Arctic Bay - but I am sure that they will all be excellent changes and life will keep on rolling here at the school.

This morning we all went out fishing at the point for sculpins and arctic cod. We mostly caught sculpins (or ugly fish) as they are known as here (and boy are they ugly!).

After spending all morning outside on the ice and then walking back to the community barely any of us teachers are able to keep our eyes open - are we ever tired. The kids? Naww .. hyper as ever (how I wish I had that energy again).

So that brings us to here, 3:13 pm ... with only 22 minutes left before the end of the school year. The buzz around the school - everyone is freaking out over the end of the year - kids are happy to be getting out soon to be able to go off and play and to stay up a late as they want all summer long without having to worry about getting up in the morning to come to school. The southern staff is either busy getting summer bags ready for their vacation down south or are packing like mad as they are preparing for new adventures.

What ever the end of the year may bring, in the end, I'll always be able to look back upon it and smile.

Summer: By Grade 1

2009-06-01T15:00:00.011-04:00

Got to love the end of the school year. Kids are crazy .. but they still enjoy drawing and coloring (phew!). So today in grade 1 we made three large wall murals about summer and what they are planning to do / want to do this summer with their families.

New Driving Rules in New Brunswick (for new drivers)

2009-05-20T17:01:00.005-04:00

Oh ... my poor home province. I know you are going through some rough times right now with everything and as much as I some times tend to disagree with some of your stances and decisions .. this one, I have to say I support 100%.

Apparently, new driving rules are coming into effect in the near future in New Brunswick for all drivers UNDER 21. They all have some impact on the graduated license system that New Brunswick (and several other provinces use).

Looking through the changes, I really don't see what the big deal is and why everyone wants to protest the changes. So, let's examine these changes that are taking place ...

As of June, 1st, 2009 the provincial government of New Brunswick will be instituting new driving laws within the province, mainly for those in the graduated license system. These new rules will include:

Level 1 licensees (before road test)

Must be accompanied by a driver who has a Class 5 licence or better, at least three years of driving experience and is seated in the front passenger seat

Cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m.

Can take their road test after eight months if they complete a licensed driver training course.

Those who do not complete such a course must wait for 12 months to do the test.

hmmm .... these sound pretty familiar so far ... I think my 'waiting' period between getting my permit, taking the course and my road test was 4 months ... although it did wind up being more like 8 as I was away for much of the summer playing field hockey..... that cannot drive between midnight and 5 am is new but was also a rule my parents imposed on me rather than the government - that was the deal. Car is in the driveway by midnight or I was a dead duck. So what's the issue here ... government making decisions to help make the roads safer or the government taking on the roll that a parent should be? Ahem... my mother would like to point out that it was the car that had to be in the drive way by midnight ... not me. All I had to do was drop the car off in the driveway no later than 12:00am and then hop into someone else's car to continue the evening's festivities. Thankfully, this only lasted that first year :-D

Even now as a 27 (almost 28 year old), if I'm driving back or to somewhere's, my goal is to be off of the road by midnight no matter what. After midnight, you're exhausted - you mind isn't as alert and your reflexes are usually pretty shot by then.

Level 2 licensees (after road test)

Cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m., except for education or work purposes, or if they’re accompanied by a driver who has a Class 5 licence or better, and at least three years of driving experienc

Cannot have more than three passengers in the vehicle, and no more than one passenger in the front seat.

All drivers under the age of 21 will be restricted to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of zero.

Wow! OMG! The government is putting restrictions on when 16 year olds can drive! Oh No! Let's stop and think of this. Why would some one between the ages of 16-18 really need to be on the road between 12am and 5am? Uhm .. can we say munchies? Driving around with no purpose? The rules are not saying that you cannot be out driving - what they are saying is that unless you have a valid reason to be on the road (school, work, and you know, they will probably even let emergencies slide) then don't go on the road. Oh no! only three passengers in my car? That's all I could fit in my car (I drove a Neon) ... and yet again, that was also a rule that my parents placed on me as well as a early driver .. come to think of it, I was only allowed one passenger for the first year of my driving unless I asked if it was ok to have more than one first (to which my parents were completely fine with). Oh - and I had to abide by the whole BAC of zero too for the year I was on my G2 .. which coincidentally also was when I was of legal age. But Oh no! My parents stepped in again here ... and said No drinkie you can have car. You go drinkie no car. Common freaking sense. You drink you don't drive. Period.

FINES:

If any of these laws are broken and you are caught the following penalities are:

More than 3 passengers: 172.50$ + 3 points
Driving after midnight: 172.50$ + 3 points
No accompanying driver: 172.50$ + 3 points

Ok, maybe I find these a little off the wall ... but then again, I'm pretty sure I had a fine system that I had to abide by to .. in particular the accompanying driver (but only while I was under my G1).

I'm all for my government stepping in to make sure that the roads that I drive, bike and walk on are safer. And if these little changes to Driving rules helps, then so be it. Too often I have seen youth driving around recklessly thinking that they are invincible ... until they wind up wrapping themselves around a tree or injuring/killing some one else.

Gee ... I wonder if we could get something like this started up in Nunavut but applied to Skidoos and Honda's driven by my students at reckless speeds at all hours I cringe every time I see one of them go buy as 9/10 the either wipe out, do a 360 or nearly run into someone coming in the opposite direction

Nunavut's Response to the EU's ban on Seal Products

2009-05-19T15:10:00.003-04:00

Just couldn't resist not posting this up ...

Have I ever said how much I hate packing?

2009-05-18T22:20:00.002-04:00

It has been one busy long weekend for Kennie up in Arctic Bay. Now that the initial "OMG!" has worn off ... now comes the task (that I really really really do not like) - packing. So instead of enjoying the weekend and going fishing that is what I've been doing.

Packing. Sorting. Cleaning. Tossing. Reconsidering the Tossing. Tossing. [repeated for three days]. Thankfully, I have some help from the awesome Heather from across the street - don't know how I'd be able to do this without your help (and going do you really need this?).

Not too much left to pack now .. got a couple of coffee mugs (the Marc Tetro Polar Bear and Huskies mugs - to whom I hope don't get damaged on the way home ... as I love these mugs - if any one in AB is reading this and has any bubble wrap that they can donate to a good cause it would be appreciated!).

And of course, there is also the yard sale that will be happening later on this week .... and then again next weekend. Stuff has been moving out though, actually sold quite a bit so far - but there is still more to go!

And to add to the wonderful times here in AB, this week is exam week for my high school students. Boy are they in for a surprise .. especially some of them who haven't bothered coming in all week and then missed the massive Grammar review we did on Friday. Tomorrow is our last review day and I already have stuff planned for it - so I hope my students took good notes throughout the term (here's hoping they did!).

Oh, and also, my days have begun to meld into one long day. This whole 24 hour light thing .. not liking it too much this year - I am really noticing it this time around. My body just won't shut down at normal hours any more. I am freaking WIDE awake at night. Last night, I watched the first two LOTRs before my brain finally forced my body to give up and go to sleep at 3:00am ... and then of course, I'm back up at 8:00am cause it's light out! Sigh. I can handle the sleep deprevation for three more weeks ..... right?

Well back to drinking my camomile tea and listening to Diana Krall's new album ... maybe that will mellow me out some ....

A Lateral Move Across the North

2009-05-13T21:49:00.003-04:00

Well, readers ... I have good news and bad news. Bad news is that soon, you won't be graced with my ramblings about life in the high Arctic. No more will you get to read my stories about water shortages, freezing door knobs, soccer games at 2am or crazy stories from school.

After much debate, and thinking, and weighing the pros and cons, sadly, I am leaving Arctic Bay at the end of this school year. It's been a wild and wacky two years here in the high North and I don't think I could have asked for a better experience (or induction to teaching - I think I can handle pretty much anything now).

Good news is that you will now (well.. soon) be able to read all about my ramblings about life in central Yukon. Soon you will hear about life with trees, bears, and moose .. and quite possibly, my washing machine attacking me. In mid August, I will begin my trek across Canada up to Yukon where I've recently accepted a permanent/continuing teaching position of grade 5/6 in Ross River.

It's going to be a year of changes for Kennie, going from the high North to central Yukon where I can get satellite reception, where my satellite radio even works and where there are trees .. and quite possibly mosquitoes. But I will also miss the high North of Arctic Bay and all of the wonderful people that I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from. Make sure to give me a ring if you make it to Yukon!

Do not worry readers, I will still be here on Tales from the Arctic for a while ... but starting in August, you can start following me and life in rural Yukon over on Tales from the Yukon. Hope to see you all over there!

How a Kindergarden Student Sees Me

2009-05-04T17:16:00.001-04:00

As part of Teacher's Appreciation Week (that was held two weeks ago now), the kindergarden kids all drew pictures of staff members at school.

This is how I am represented by a kindergardener:

Oh I know, I know ... Kennie's a Bad Blogger

2009-05-04T07:42:00.001-04:00

But can you blame me? Well, yes you could. But you won't right??

I mean, come on ... I'm dealing with no darkness at night now - I have no idea what time it is when I wake up (or go to sleep for that matter). And besides, I haven't had too many blog worthy moments as of late.

School is school - kids are kids .. nothing much to report there (other than I do wish that my morning high school kids would come to class - it's for their benefit more than mine :-) ).

Things are starting to wind up and wind down at the same time here in the North. Countdown to the fishing derby as started for some, while countdown to summer vac-cay-cay has started for others.

Hopefully something today will inspire me to get out of this blog-funk ... it's just that time of year where it's getting harder and harder to find things to blog about ...

Nunavut Quest 2009: The Video

2009-04-20T20:06:00.003-04:00

** yes, I know that there is a huge grammatical mistake in this video ... oopsie. I'll fix it eventually ... maybe .. if I still have bandwidth **

Nunavut Quest 2009: And They're Off!

2009-04-20T18:19:00.006-04:00

Today, all of the teams left Arctic Bay heading to Pond Inlet. And what an event it was. We all went down from the school around 1:15pm to watch the mushers and their support teams head off on their four day "cross-country" journey.

And it was a beautiful day out today too! Sunny (I'm even starting to get a tan on my face, as was pointed out to me today by a co-worker, siting the racoon-eye effect that is going on ... and yes, it does look like I've got coon eyes forming too), -10 with no wind! I could have stayed out there ALL afternoon.

The support teams left about half an hour before the mushers did so that they could be well ahead of them and to the first check point to set up camp before their musher arrived.

While mushers waited for the start time, I busied myself with nabbing picutures, chatting with mushers and other locals. It was pretty neat learning about the teams, the dogs and their ages. Average age of the dogs is about 2-3 years .. and most only "run" for an average of 3-4 years before they "retire".

Here's me with a wonderful team of dogs - oh how cute and cuddly they all were! Some of the friendliest sled dogs I've come across while in the North.

Mushers began leaving Arctic Bay at around 2:10 with two minute intervals between departures (so that there is not a huge bottle-necking of sleds and dogs as they leave Arctic Bay and head around the Point.

As usual, I spent my time down on the ice juggling several different cameras that all served a different purpose - why oh why can't DSLRs have video recording capabilities??!!

I'm currently uploading pictures and editing video so stay tuned for those!

Nunavut Quest 2009: From Arctic Bay to Pond Inlet

2009-04-18T16:25:00.006-04:00

For the past couple of days, town has been a little more "crowded" as teams and spectators from Northern Baffin have been arriving here in town for Nunavut Quest, which is set to kick off on Monday. Racers this year will be traveling by dog sled from Arctic Bay to Pond Inlet.

This weekend, there has been a wave of activities to help celebrate NQ-09. Last night there was a dance held in the gym, and today there were games on the ice as well as a mini-race for the racers (they went out around the point, out the inlet and hung a right as far as I know and then went on for a couple of kms before looping back to Arctic Bay).

I hiked on down to the ice to see what was going on and to snap some pictures of the activities and dogs for all to see. The dogs were quite anxious to get out and running and we were quite anxious to see them off for their mini-race.

After the teams set off for their mini-race ... we all headed off to play some games... until the teams came back.

After a couple of hours outside in the cold (-10 my *** .. once ya add in the windchill, were back down to -23) I decided to head on back up the hill home as a) I was frozen and b) camera was frozen.

It was a good day outside through, soaked in as much sun as I could while there .. and now I'm hoping for good weather tomorrow as there is going to be a tea party out at the iceberg .. and I'm hoping for even better weather Monday as we (the school) are all going down to the ice for the afternoon to watch the race begin and play games.

Kiddies Sliding down the Hill .. just another afternoon in the North

2009-04-14T19:42:00.005-04:00

While out on my walk this afternoon after school I was called over on the hill out front of Clare's by a couple of my students as they wanted to show me their mad sliding skils.

Without further ado .. here's some Arctic Bay kiddies sliding down the hill having the time of their lives. Oh how I wish there were adult sized GT's .... cause it sure looks like fun!

Happy Easter Y'all!

2009-04-12T12:08:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter everyone ... from the Easter B

Nunavut @ 10

2009-04-07T20:35:00.004-04:00

Last week, on April 1, 2009 we had a day filled with games at school in celebration of Nunavut's 10th Anniversary. A great time was had by all of the students and teachers who organized the games and by the community who participated.

More Photo's of the Day's Events.

Even though it's -20 outside ...

2009-04-07T19:54:00.007-04:00

soccer still rules in the road games ... as can be seen in front of my house.

I just hope the ball doesn't come crashing through my window :-)

The Day ... The Music ... Died.

2009-04-07T07:28:00.002-04:00

Sigh. I am at a loss.

Any one that knows me knows that I can't get through my day without being able to crank up a set of speakers and rock out (usually in the morning while in the shower ... it just wakes me up - what can I say?) ...

The last couple of days my speaker system as been acting up - not playing audio, popping, squealing and other strange noises emitting from the speakers as my tunes played on. Thinking nothing of it, I just let it be.

Last night my wonderful iPod speaker system let out the screech of death. The noise it made was horrible .. between it and my screaming I'm sure next door was wondering what was going on. Figuring that maybe it was just cranky I unplugged it all, let it sit, then plugged it all back together, said a little prayer to the technology gods and crossed my fingers. Yet again, the screech of death (and I didn't even have the iPod plugged into the system yet). Bummed out at not being able to listen to tunes while reading last night, I left it.

This morning. Same thing. Screech of death mixed in with static of unimaginable proportions. Sigh.It is dead (although power still runs through it just fine, no smoking ... just the screech of death). And now I'm music-less (it's just not the same listening to tunes through earphones all the time).

No idea what is to blame for its demise .. other than perhaps it experienced one too many brown-outs which might have caused something internal to fry ... i dunno.

I know... I know...

2009-03-29T00:30:00.003-04:00

I've been a bad blogger. It's not my fault really! I've been uber busy at school getting ready for a novel study and have been even more uber busy with the course I am taking .. and even more uber busy trying to figure out what I am going to be doing during my summer vacation other than sitting out baking in the sun and biking all around.

But, still. I know. I should at least post something that states that I am still alive eh?

I had recess duty a couple of weeks back and took my camera outside with me (it didn't last long as it was -35 outside) .. but here are a couple of pictures of the week:

And of course ... this photo collage is brought to you by the letters Y, R and U, the word Crazy and Shape Collage.

When unexpected company drops by in the Arctic

2009-03-18T21:09:00.001-04:00

Mars-1 Humvee ... coming to the Arctic Near You

2009-03-17T21:29:00.001-04:00

Humvee to tackle the Arctic
Team says journey will simulate what long-range exploration on Mars would be like

KATE ALLEN March 14, 2009 Globe And Mail

VANCOUVER -- The Canadian Arctic will be "Mars on Earth" for a team of planetary and climate researchers determined to be the first to traverse the ice-choked Northwest Passage by road vehicle.

Four team members in a converted Humvee truck will be researching what long-range exploration on Mars and other planets would be like as they navigate the notoriously treacherous 2,000-kilometre route. They will also be measuring the thickness of the sea ice beneath them to determine the effects of climate change in the Arctic.

The team says the passage has been navigated on snowmobiles and skis, but never a road vehicle.

The wheels of their truck, a military ambulance, will be replaced with skis to minimize pressure on top of the frozen sea.

Designers left one feature of the Humvee intact: its armour.

"It can take mortars, but more importantly, it will protect us - we think - from polar bears at night," expedition leader Pascal Lee said.

The team is using the polar North as an analogue for terrain on other planets. The researchers say that rocky, barren Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, their ultimate destination, is the closest thing to the inhospitable geography of other planets.

"We're fascinated by what Devon Island presents to us and we're viewing it as a Mars park for the world to study and understand," Dr. Lee said.

Devon Island is the site of the Haughton impact crater, a meteorite blast 23 kilometres across that was left 39 million years ago. The crater's similarity to those on other planets and moons is of particular interest to the researchers.

The team will also be cataloguing the region's snow dunes and ice ridges to see if they have counterparts on other planets, and using drills to determine the thickness of the ice pack.

Setting out from Kugluktuk in Western Nunavut in April, they hope to reach their research station two weeks later, but will carry enough provisions for four weeks.

Conditions during that time will be extreme. The team faces temperatures ranging from -20 to -35. The Humvee's cab will be exposed, as will be the two team members on snowmobiles escorting the truck. "During the drive, nobody will be warm," Dr. Lee said.

At night, the team will bunk in cots set up in the Humvee's trunk. They will "live in a very cosy way," Dr. Lee said.

The Northwest Passage's reputation for danger and death is centuries old. In 1775, the first vessel to successfully traverse it, the English whaler Octavius, was discovered drifting near Greenland with all hands frozen to death below deck.

Among its most famous victims was the Franklin Expedition of 1845, whose 128 crew members died of starvation, hypothermia, scurvy, and lead poisoning after the ship became lodged in ice. Bodies that were recovered showed signs of cannibalism.

This April's Arctic trip will be the fourth for Jesse Weaver, 18, the team's vehicle technician, who was initially hired by Dr. Lee after he noticed the young man repairing motorcycles at his grandparents' house in Tennessee. The danger is "what makes it so exciting," Mr. Weaver said.

John Schutt, the expedition's field guide and a veteran of over 42 Arctic campaigns, is also aware of the risks his team faces. The more successful they are in determining significant effects of climate change in the Arctic, the less successful their trip across the thinning ice may be.

"It's sort of ironic in that regard," Mr. Schutt said.

The trip was organized by the Mars Institute and is supported by both NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

So much for enjoying the great outdoors

2009-03-14T13:53:00.004-04:00

As it is a beautiful, sunshiny day out I figured I would go for a hike out to the point. Geared up, camera and snack in tow, I headed out down the hill to the ice. Hiking out, listening to tunes and soaking in the much needed sunrays, I heard a voice calling me from the last house of town "Kendra!!!!!". I stopped, looked waved and listened "You might not want to hike out to the point today! There's a polar bear out there!". Bummer I thought, as I hiked up off the ice to get more info. Apparently, a polar bear was sighted hanging out around the point early this morning and it's still there hunting for seals and enjoying the sun. Local hunters are keeping an eye on it while they try to get ahold of our wildlife control officer (whose also currently out hunting) to find out what to do. So far, the bear hasn't shown too much interest in coming into town for a visit ... but I don't think I'm quite ready to out run a hungry polar bear ... at least not today.

3.14159265358979323........

2009-03-14T01:59:00.002-04:00

Happy Pi day to you,
Happy Pi day to you,
Happy Pi day everybody,
Happy Pi day to you.

More Adventures from the Classroom

2009-03-13T19:22:00.004-04:00

Some days I just want to bang my head against the door in my classroom while teaching my grade 10 English class. There are days where I seriously wonder if anything stops and stays in their brain long enough for it to be absorbed. And then there are days like the past couple that I just sit there and wonder 'what did you do with my students ... and can you make sure that they don't return?'

In my English class I am supposed to do a full length novel study (eventually). Before getting into it though, I figured might as well test the waters with a short story that we will analyze and answer questions like we would with a novel. Well, after many days of reading I finally decided upon Farley Mowat's "Walk Well My Brother" from The Snow Walker (a book full of Inuit / Northern themed short stories). I wasn't too sure how my class would react to the story. It is a very well written and easy to understand story (bonus) but .. some of the views from the main characters POV on the Inuit (or 'Huskies' as he calls them throughout the story) I was a little wary on. But, I figured I would deal with it when they brought it up.

So, Tuesday, I introduced the story to the students and read the first couple pages to them (as I find that although my students know how to read, they don't quite pick up on the nuances of the language) and then we worked through the questions together. At times I had to pull answers out of them and direct them to a page or paragraph that held the answer ... but we made out ok. At the end of the class one of my students looked at me and asked "Isn't this a movie?"

Wednesday we continued on, and they were much better at finding answers in the text and recalling information (yeah!) but we were still having a little bit of an issue with putting the answer in our own words.

Thursday ... well.. I lost my voice. Yeah for colds. So I figured, we've read about 1/2 the story, maybe this is time to start the movie that was made based off of Walk Well My Brother - The Snow Walker. It was pretty rewarding watching my students react to the movie. "That was in the story!", "They didn't mention that in the story", "Who are those guys.. they aren't in the story". Thus began the conversation about movie adaptations and that some times when stories are made into movies, the movie has to add filler to fill in the gaps in the story that become apparent in a movie.

Today, we continued on reading the story (and as an added bonus, we actually watched the part of the movie that matches the text yesterday). One of my students even surprised me as he had taken his story duo-tang home, read the next section (the one that we were working on in class) and did the questions as homework - with out me asking or assigning it! [there is hope!]. And of course, today we worked more on putting the answers in their own words ... which was a long drawn out process .. but we made it through. And to my amazement, once we were done our questions my students asked if we could continue watching the movie to see 'where we were in the story'. And of course, they began pointing out things that weren't in the story ... I then had to remind them that we weren't done reading the story yet either .. but to keep these things in the back of their minds as we finish the story.

And of course, I can't forget my little kids. My grade 1 and 2 classes were fantastic to me these past couple of days (Weds - Fri) as I was not only battling a cold, but also suffering from laryngitis and had no voice. Wednesday I squeaked and squawked my way through a little "Counting to 100" mini-book with my grade 1 class (thankfully there was only 5 of them present) .. but we had fun. Thursday I had no voice, but my grade 2 class was golden for me (maybe they were taking pity on me?) and we finished watching The Cat In The Hat - you could have heard a pin drop in that classroom. And if course today, my grade 1's were supper-beings again, as we finished off Madagascar.

Sometimes my students just amaze me.

Shuffle my Apple

2009-03-11T22:38:00.006-04:00

I have had a long relationship with the iPod families. I've gone through every version of the shuffle. My v1.0 shuffle died after going on one too many long runs in the summer months .. who-da-thunk that small electronics wouldn't like sweat? Shuffle v2.0 .. while it lasted longer after suffering through many long runs ... ultimately met its fate one cold arctic day while out on a run .. yet again, who-da-thunk that condensation from being inside a pocket and then freezing would cause it to die. Sure not me! And then there is v3.0 who didn't even make it to the 6 month mark ... yet again, I know I should have learned my lesson the last time ... the shuffle doesn't like condensation or freezing. So here we move on to the new Shuffle v4.0. I am very tempted to find out how well it will survive in arctic conditions as well ... hmmm... maybe a little experiment needs to happen up here...

So .. Apple, if you are reading this.. can you make a shuffle that:
a) won't fry due to sweat / water / condensation
b) won't die cause it got frozen from being out in the Arctic environment

And I guess while we are at it ... can you also Arctic-ify the iPod too? The battery doesn't hold up too well up here.

Where or where has the water truck gone?

2009-03-11T19:03:00.002-04:00

After three long (and perhaps smelly) days with no water (one of the added perks you can purchase with your Northern Adventure) the water truck finally graced us with an appearance.

I was getting to the point where I was going to start standing in the middle of the road and block its way around town until it stopped to fill up our water tank. It is not fun not being able to have my morning (although quick) shower. Nor is it very fun if Kennie doesn't have her cup of Java in the morning .. makes for a very foul mooded Kennie. All should hopefully start returning to normal ... now all I have to do is make my way through two weeks of laundry ...

Arctic Bay Space Program: The Graphic Novel

2009-03-08T22:13:00.003-04:00

For more pictures of the launch and video head on over to Clare's at The House and Other Arctic Musings.

Arctic Bay Space Program

2009-03-07T22:52:00.004-05:00

Arctic Bay's Space Program had a successful launch early this afternoon. Space Exploration Program Head Clare and Astronaut-in-Training Travis successfully sent their rocket into orbit this afternoon. The rocket soared high into the sky before it's parachute ejected allowing it to safely float back down to the recovery site. The rocket was recovered successfully by the recovery team for a second launch.

The Penguins

2009-03-06T21:14:00.003-05:00

I just love these guys from the Madagascar movie series. There is just something about them that makes me smile each time I see them.

And this just put a bigger smile on my face today. Today, as the gym was being used by the Rangers we combined the grade 1 and 2 class together at 1:40 and continued watching Madagascar (as the grade 1 and 2's have been watching parts of it every now and then) ... it was a little crazy with 40 little bodies in my classroom, but it was all worth it when they all began singing along to this:

Polar Joke

2009-03-04T18:48:00.002-05:00

Skittles

2009-03-04T18:00:00.002-05:00

I love skittles. There is no denying it that they are my favorite candy ... next too M&M's.

However, this love of Skittles can be a costly one. I bought myself a pack of Skittles after school at the Northern with some other things that I needed.

I know, never look at the prices of things as they are scanned. But holy-moally! I didn't think I would ever pay this much for a 61 gram pack of Skittles. The price .. secret for now .. let's see what y'all think I would pay for Skittles :-)

Experiments in Teaching

2009-03-02T21:02:00.002-05:00

I don't know whether I've sunk to a new teaching low, or have just figured out one of the more creative (and less stressful) ways of teaching my English students story plot structure. After going over the structure of plot for the last week (and short story theory), I gave my students a worksheet to take home over PI break to work on. Well ... none of the worksheets came back (surprise surprise?).

Today, I figured, well, might as well just review the concepts and see what we all remember and work at trying to work through the worksheet. Well, we got through the theory review ... and just by looking at them I could tell that there was no way that we were going to be getting through the reading / analyzing part today, and they really needed a practice run that wasn't too taxing .. I dug through my desk drawer of DVDs and pulled out Futurama, handed out plot structure worksheets and we analyzed an episode of Futurama.

And ya know what? They got it! I did have to throw in several leading questions, and pausing the episode several times and point out that this was part of rising action and then asking what was going on. But it worked - my students understood what was going on. I think I'll be doing this a couple more times before we start our larger novel study and get them to analyze episodes for different things (characters, setting, plot). But whoo-da-thunk that Fry, Bender, Leela and Prof. Farnsworth could teach my students plot.

Arctic Voice

2009-03-02T17:18:00.004-05:00

We have a special visitor here in Arctic Bay for the next couple of days. Glenn Morris, from the UK, is part of a team, Arctic Voice that brings schools from the Arctic together with schools in the UK to help students in the UK understand climate change and how it is affecting life in the north ... as well as exploring the North.

Glenn arrived here the other day by dog sled from Igloolik with Simon (his guide) - that's a two week trek over the frozen tundra and ice! Glenn's arrival into Arctic Bay is part of phase three of his trek ... and it's not over yet .. as before the week is up, Glenn will be heading back out with Simon and the dog team, mushing off to their next location.

I got to spend some time with Glenn today working some tech magic (downloading and backing up photos - which are amazing ... and being the nice Internet Cafe provider :-) ). It was pretty neat learning about his travels and adventures and I am looking forward to his talk to the students of Inuujaq tomorrow.

My Fake Band Meme

2009-02-25T19:00:00.005-05:00

Clare tagged me in this Fake Band Meme on Facebook ... and I figured might as well move it on over to the blogosphere :-)

My Fake Band: "Canada After Dark"
Our First Album: "Visions Come Not To Polluted Eyes"

So here are the 'rules'

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random... Read More”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" and TAG the friends you want to join in. OR tag people in the blogosphere.

So I tag: Megan, Michael, Alex, Townie and Kara to Join the fun!

High Arctic Council

2009-02-24T22:38:00.004-05:00

New High Arctic council to share concerns at first meeting
CBC News North, Feb. 18, 2009

People from Nunavut's most northerly communities are set to gather next week to discuss their common concerns, from transportation to sovereignty.

The High Arctic Council will convene for the first time, with the meeting set for Iqaluit on Feb. 26. Representatives will be coming in from the communities of Arctic Bay, Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord.

Also attending will be Quttiktuq MLA Ron Elliott, who said it has been a challenge to represent three separate, remote communities fairly.

"So if we can get all three communities in the same room together, then we could actually come up with some solutions together," Elliott said Tuesday.

Elliott said the issue of transportation costs will likely dominate next week's discussions. Representatives from airlines First Air and Canadian North will attend the meeting, he added.

Council delegates are also expected to discuss the federal government's efforts to protect its sovereignty over the Arctic, as all three communities would be affected by a heightened military presence in the area.

Oh How I Love Getting Mail

2009-02-24T21:27:00.004-05:00

Yahoo! Care package from down south arrived today! With all of the goodies that I requested / ordered! Wh00t! (as I munch down on some much needed M&Ms). Kennie of the North approves!

This box contained some well waited for games too! Since I own a PS2 it is sometimes a pain to find / locate games in Canada online. Futureshop tries it's best .. but meh, I really don't want High School Musical 3 Sing-a-Long ... Video Games Plus (where I usually order from) does carry a wide variety of games, but sometimes not the ones I've been looking for.

After months of scouring the net, I finally found them online at GameStop (a US based video game store that sells new and used video games). Well, I thought my search for Silent Hill 2, 3, and 4 was over. Well.. kinda. Apparently, according to their online eStore, Nunavut either a) does not exist, or b) the carrier they use (UPS) does not ship there [I'm going with option a as I know UPS delivers here... eventually]. So what is a gal who wants a couple of zombie zapping games to do? Ship them to her parents address. Well - three days later, my mama got them in the mail (wow! Amazing!) ... and soon after they were shipped off to me.

So, this now leaves me here, sitting in the dark playing X-Files: Resist or Serve (another game that came up with that batch)... and ohh.... am I ever in heaven here! For those of you that don't know me, I am a X-Philie. I lived for that show. When the new movie hit the theaters, I dragged (well.. I don't know if it was really dragged, but strongly insisted) that we all go see it and that no one was allowed to talk or make any smarta** comments through the movie. And then I ran off to iTunes to buy the soundtrack (I am proud to say that I own all of the soundtracks, plus the two movies, plus all nine seasons).. ahem.. back to the game.

So I'm here, sitting in the dark, playing the game, as Mulder zapping off all of these zombies (yeah, so Kennie, what's your point here).. well, I'm playing it in surround sound! (I'm sure Darcy is wondering what on Earth is going on over here if he's done mocking Queen Latifa saying "Nanoo" instead of "Nanook"). In this care package were the two most wonderful little gizmos that I can't believe I never bought until now (when I sent my mama on a wild search for them). RCA Barrell Connectors.

These two little connectors have allowed me to hook up the audio cords from my PS2 to a RCA-Y cable that is plugged into my surround sound speakers. It is awesome! Zombie zapping in surround sound!!! No more mono-TV output! And to make it even better, I've got the video hooked up to the projector ... which yes, means I got a freaking huge playing screen! Mwaaa-haaa-haaa!

And just because I am a geek .. this is what I'll be playing all night-long ... at least until I can't keep my eyes open anymore :-)

nothin' much going on up here.

2009-02-24T12:39:00.002-05:00

Nothing much to report on here on Tales from the Arctic ... just finished up my second day of Professional Improvement where I am learning about blogging and podcasting in the classroom and digital literacy. It's been a couple days of reading books so far, and three more days of reading to go. Some of these books are pretty dry and filed with American Technology Standards (why don't we have a Canadian equivalent .. and even more to the point, why aren't there any Canadian authors writing about blogging and podcasting and digital literacy??).

And of course, I'm also working away on my course work too at night ... which has been quite informative so far. Currently working on a paper / assignment about the history / origins of the Inuit and the Sami.

Traditional Inuit Clothing Day

2009-02-20T21:00:00.005-05:00

As Darcy has already pointed out (as he beat me to the posting race) today at school was Traditional Inuit Clothing Day (er .. afternoon) as part of the celebrations of last weeks Inuktitut Language Week.

This afternoon everyone (well, for the most part) came decked out in their favorite traditional threads for a "fashion show" that was being held downstairs in the gym.

Explore Biodiversity

2009-02-17T10:02:00.004-05:00

Yet again .... all I can say is WOW .. and where was this site when I was in school? This would have made all of those boring biology classes sooo much more entertaining!

The Wild Classroom: Biology Vidoes and Podcasting via Ecogeeks

2009-02-17T09:57:00.005-05:00

All I can say is WOW. Science educators ... rejoice!

Burp of Arctic laughing gas is no joke

2009-02-16T17:58:00.003-05:00

Maybe this explains why I feel so loopy after running the tundra ... and this ... well... this just explains other 'things'

Out 'enjoying' the sun

2009-02-14T14:11:00.000-05:00

Canada's Arctic

2009-02-13T22:51:00.002-05:00

Canada's Arctic is a site with a wealth of knowledge on Canada's Polar Life and Canada's Polar Environments.

Return to Academia

2009-02-11T22:46:00.003-05:00

After a two year "break" from "learning" I am back in the "classroom"... well the e-classroom to be exact. Last week I began an online course offered through the University of the Arctic called "Introduction to the Circumpolar World" as part of my professional development endeavors (and to add a little more ~~flare~~ flair to my cred sheet :-) ).

And this is why it's been a little quiet here on Tales from the Arctic this past week ... I've got a lot of reading and researching to do during the nights, and by the time I'm done my work, I can barely stand looking at the computer any more to be able to post up a quick update.

So what have I been up to? Well, I've been enjoying the return of the sun. I've been constantly moving around in my classroom trying to stay in the sun while teaching just because it feels so good. And when I'm not teaching, I'm researching all about the Arctic - mostly all about Arctic Bay and Kautokeino, Norway (as I am comparing these two circumpolar communities for my course project).

Researching for this project would be a heck of a lot easier if a) I had more bandwidth, as it's been pretty intense so far and b) if I new how to read Norwegian / Saami - cause I think I've found an article that might give me a good portion of the answers that I need... but I only understand about every 10th word. Sigh. Oh well. All part of the research fun right??

So right now I am sitting here on my couch, surrounded by article printouts, books that I've borrowed from our library and a pot of coffee with a straw sticking out of it ... and am only about 1/2 done the assignment ... yet some how I am up to page 12 already ... go figure. Thankfully, it is not due until Saturday, so I should have plenty of time to finish it up. It's mostly just stringing everything that I've found together into some coherent form. I figure after 8 years of university I should be able to do that right?

Welcome Back Sun!

2009-02-08T13:36:00.003-05:00

On Friday we held a 'Welcome Back Sun' celebration/variety show down in the gym. Students and community members got to listen to some songs and skits prepared by our students welcoming back the sun to Arctic Bay.

Grade 1 sang 'You are my Sunshine'; Grade 2 presented a short skit on 'Where the Northern Lights come From'; Grade 3/4 sang 'Why Does The Sun Shine'; Grade 4/5 performed Bedouin Soundclash's 'When the Night Feels My Song''Grade 6/7 performed a drumming and shaking ditty to welcome back the sun;the Grade 8/9 boys performed a little sun rap; and the high school sang to 'Here Comes the Sun'.

It was a nice little variety show put on by the students, and a great time was had by all.

Adventures in Hair Cutting

2009-02-06T22:08:00.007-05:00

This evening, after many weeks of contemplating it and the Northern Newfie just going "will you just do it all ready??!!" and one comment of "you're too chicken to do it", I shaved my head - well, more accurately, Darcy shaved it for me as it's a little hard for me to do it myself. No worries readers, I'm not bald, I still have a nice layer of fuzz on my head. Basically, it's about as short as what my hair originally was when I moved up here to the North two years ago.

For some reason, last March, I got this insane idea that I should just let it grow out nice and long again. I haven't had long hair since grade 11 and thought that it might be a nice change. Yeah, I was wrong there. Sure it was a nice change, and it was nice to have the long hair to tie back.... but after a while, it got to the point where it really really needed a desperate hair cut, as I was beginning to feel like a shaggy hippie.

Well, after weeks of throwing the idea around of getting a hair cut, and then a couple of weeks of let's just shave it all of bald....tonight, I had it. It was time for it to go again.

Listening to Our Past

2009-02-06T10:04:00.004-05:00

Listening to our Past is an amazing site on Inuit Culture and Traditions covering many topics such as traditional Inuit knowledge, cosmology and shamanism, traveling and surviving on the land and when North meets South.

The site allows teachers to create questionnaires and other activities for their students to engage in while learning about the Iniut culture in Canada. The site is loaded with pictures of life in Nunavut and of the Inuit culture as well as audio and video segments and downloadable pdf summaries of each section.

Whoooo-hoooo!!!!

2009-02-05T17:39:00.001-05:00

Even though it only made it up above the mountains at 11:54AM ... and then went down again at 12:58PM it was a great hour with the sun.

Hockey in Arctic Bay: The Movie

2009-02-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

Living Traditions: North American Indigenous Games

2009-02-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

The Living Traditions: Museums Honour the North American Indigenous Games is a site maintained by the Virtual Museum of Canada on North American Indigenous Games.

The site includes information on a variety of NAIGs, its history, as well as online flash activities and a teachers corner that has many ideas, activities and links to information that teachers can use in the classroom.

Tin Foil ... is there anything you can't use it for?

2009-02-01T13:48:00.001-05:00

O' Aluminum Tinfoil - how I love thee.

You have provided many hours of fun entertainment in offices, where we haze n00bs to the office world

You have helped me make the best baked potatoes in the world

You have helped protect Fluffy from the brain seeking waves from above

You have helped countless millions with their fear of 'big brother' using the airwaves to track their actions

But most importantly, you have made it possible for me to sleep at night during the 'light-season' here in the Arctic where the sun never sets as you block the sun from entering through my window.

From my Front Window

2009-01-31T12:03:00.002-05:00

This is the sight I woke up to this Saturday Morning ...

Hockey Afternoon in Arctic Bay

2009-01-30T22:27:00.009-05:00

This afternoon we all (everyone in the school) went down to the arena to watch a Teacher/Staff/Community Member vs. Students (the boys hockey team - Midget I think .... grade 9+) hockey game.

Both teams 'fought' hard on the ice to claim the title of 'King of the Ice' as the school and community cheered on.

I have no idea what the final score was (and not that it really matters) as I was out in the arena lobby trying to get feeling back in my hands as I was snapping pictures during the game.

***[things that I learned while taking photos of the game: 1) I definitely need mid-range focal length lens as the ones I have were either too limited or way too much for what I needed; 2) a flash would have been pretty useful as the lighting in the arena isn't the best; 3) my camera is not the best for sports / action shots ... looks like I might be looking at investing in a Nikon in the future]

Sunrise in Arctic Bay

2009-01-30T11:54:00.004-05:00

Here is a glimpse at the sky a good three hours before the sun 'officially' rises in Arctic Bay - although, we still won't see it here in town for another five days as it doesn't quite make it above the mountains that surround us here.

According to environment Canada, sunrise will be occurring at 12:20pm and sunset will be occurring at 13:28pm for a grand total of 68 minutes of 'sunlight'.

Sliding at Recess

2009-01-30T08:18:00.004-05:00

Here are the kindergarden to grade 4 kids having fun sliding on the little sliding hill they made on the playground.

It sure is nice to have this much light again at 10:25am!

Moon and Venus

2009-01-29T19:22:00.003-05:00

It took forever to upload ... but here ~~it is~~ they are.

The things photographers go through for the perfect picture

2009-01-29T18:00:00.001-05:00

Today while walking home from school, in up in the twilight above the mountains that surround us here in AB was the wondrous sight of the New Moon and Venus. I booted it home and ran in to get my camera and tripod to set it up in the dark behind my unit, the unit across from me and over behind Clare's (as it was nice and dark over there).

Well, I got my ever so excellent picture of the New Moon eating Venus (looks like PacMan chasing after a dot) ... but in the process I managed to not only freeze up my tripod but my hands as well (even though I had my nice and warm gloves on with me).

Once I get my bandwidth back I'll be posting on up photos of the afternoon sky here in AB... but for now, you can head on over to The House and Other Arctic Musings to get a glimpse at what is hovering above us here in AB.

Exceeded my Bandwidth

2009-01-28T07:51:00.001-05:00

Well ... it's going to be quiet here on Tales from the Arctic for the next 8 days as I have exceeded my Qiniq bandwidth allotment for the month. How I managed to do this is beyond me, especially considering that half the time I can't even get connected to the Internet 'cause Qiniq is having issues with it's service.

Sigh. Me thinks it might be time to start researching for a new Internet service provider ... if one exists for way up here in the high North.

Geek Side Project: Tech in Education

2009-01-26T22:04:00.004-05:00

The geek in me needed a side project ... more so of a research project in a way. Since I am a technology educator (and a geek at heart), I love finding new software to use and test out to see if it can be of any use to me personally, to my teaching or my students in class.

So what this this Northern Geek do? Created a new blog. A blog where educators and any one else seeking software that is low-cost / open-source can visit. The whole purpose of this new blog is to search the internet for easy to use, inexpensive / free software that can be used primarily in the classroom, but also for home / work use. Now, no offense to the Windows users out there, but the software I will be featuring will be primarily Mac OS X and Linux based, as these are the OS's that I have access to (unless Dell has an amazing sale on Windows machines .... I can't believe I would consider owning a Windows machine again.... sigh, what is wrong with me?)

For those of you who are interested, head on over to my new Geekdom, Tech in Education. I'm going to be trying to have at least one software review up per week ... more if I'm able to squeeze it in... all depends on how complicated the programs will be.

This Morning's Educational Moment Brought to you By FoxTrot

2009-01-26T07:38:00.005-05:00

Happy 25th Macintosh Computer!

2009-01-24T12:56:00.004-05:00

Happy 25th ~~Anniversary~~ Birthday to the Macintosh Computer!!

Although my first use of the Macintosh was 9 yeras latter in 1993, the Macintosh Classic II was my first introduction to the world of Mac's.

I just couldn't resist

2009-01-24T02:35:00.001-05:00

I stumbled across this on an ubuntu-canada mailing list .... and although 'old news' it is still relevant in our internet world ... where everything is being slapped with a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act - USA) or in Canada the Bills C-60 and C-61 (did anything ever come out of the proposed motions for amendments to these bills?). or our more commonly known 'friend', DRM ... either way, I thought it was quite humorous at this late hour of the night ... or should I say early hour of the morn?

Map of Nunavut

2009-01-22T21:15:00.003-05:00

The Canadian Atlas Online

2009-01-22T19:32:00.002-05:00

Might as well keep going with the educational resources theme of the day (hehe).

For you geography teachers, or those that just love looking at maps ... head on over to The Canadian Atlas Online, an interactive atlas ... all on line.

The Territory of Unrequited Dreams

2009-01-22T18:33:00.006-05:00

In 1999, Nunavut, Canada's newest Territory was created ... and on April 1, Nunavut celebrates it's 10th year as a Territory and it's joining in the Confederation.

In today's mail I received my first copy of my subscription to Canadian Geographic.. and but what was it's feature? Nunavut turning 10.

I thought that it was pretty freaky that my first issue would be one about Nunavut turning 10. At the same time, I was sure that Darcy was gonna snatch the magazine right out of my hands and run into the night (as I think he was more excited about the issue than I was).

And in the spirit of Education, as I know many of you teachers that check in on this blog, in preparation for Nunavut's 10th Anniversary (sounds kinda strange).... you can learn all about it's history and beginnings here at Nunavut 99 - Changing the Map of Caanda.

Also, if anyone out there has a copy of the January/February 1999 Canadian Geographic that had the feature article about the creation of Nunavut, I would love to get my hands on a digital version of the article.

Like... uh .... ikki??!!?

2009-01-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

A Great Teacher Resource

2009-01-22T09:33:00.004-05:00

When I first stumbled onto worksheetworks.com, I jumped for joy - as I really don't like having to wrack my brain out coming up with worksheets and exercises for my English students to work on in class.

And not only does Worksheetworks.com make English resources, they have tons of other easily downloadable pdf worksheets covering a variety of subjects (math, geography, puzzles ....).

Currently it is in the beta phase, and is free to all to use. So head on over and check it out!

Oh yes, and don't forget to pass this site on to all of your colleagues!

And the Winners Are ........

2009-01-21T19:06:00.002-05:00

Congrats to all of the participants in the 2008 Nunies! The polls closed last night .... and the results are in! To check them out head on over to Clare @ The House and Other Arctic Musings.

It was a great battle to the end with many of us flip flopping throughout the whole voting period.

So, yet again, congrats and see ya in the blogosphere!

Not too Much Longer Now!

2009-01-16T11:20:00.002-05:00

We are about halfway through our countdown to the sun's return to Arctic Bay... And the sky is getting pinker and brighter everyday. Can't wait for the sun's return!

Arctic Bay Sky @ 11:20 AM

Ha-Ha! I've been Tagged!

2009-01-15T18:43:00.003-05:00

Darcy has tagged a group of us in a little 'let's see where these instructions take you' meme.

So this is what I eventually landed on (after doing a little substituting of location names, since I don't exactly keep my pictures in the documents folder .. but locked up safely in Aperture).

And ... here it is!

This picture was taken way back late August when I went on a hike out to Uluksan Point. I initially planned on putting both feet in the water but it was rather chilly and the rocks were kinda slimy and I didn't want to fall in the bay.

So .... I know tag Tina, Kara, Jennith, Alex, Megan and Jackie.

Here are the 'rules'

1. Go to your documents. (or if you are a mac user, go to your pictures folder)
2. Go to your 6th folder.
3. Go to your 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 others to do the same.

Inuksuk and Polar Bear Carvings

2009-01-15T07:53:00.004-05:00

My New Qilautii Earrings

2009-01-14T21:30:00.006-05:00

Qilautii Earrings, carved by Jina Akikuluk

This afternoon after school, I went to the Heritage Center with a fellow teacher who was looking for mittens. While there, I found and purcahsed these beautiful qilautii (drum) earrings made from narwhal tusk.

Extra Extra - Read All About it!

2009-01-14T21:10:00.004-05:00

Last week Darcy, Clare and myself were interviewed by Nunavut News/North as part of an article on the upcomming Nunies.

Paper copies of the article have made it here to Arctic Bay (finally) ... I still don't have my hands on a copy though, but was able to read it while over the other side of town at the Arctic College instructor's house (as a group of us got together for a spagetti supper - yum!). I'm going to have to make a special trip to the Northern tomorrow to grab a copy.

It's a two page spread about the Nunies (founded by Clare) and us blogggers here in Arctic Bay (head on over to Darcy's if you want to see part of the article.

~~I was hoping to find the online version as sometimes Nunavut News/North does put up whole articles .. but alas, no.~~ I did make the "front page" of the website! Thanks to Clare and Daron I now have the link to the article!

Let the Voting Begin!

2009-01-14T07:27:00.002-05:00

It is time!

Clare has released the top 5 candidates for Best Nunavut Blogs, Best New Nunavut Blog and the candidates for Best Post from 2008. Head on over to the polls to cast your vote now!

If you were a box of software ...

2009-01-12T22:52:00.001-05:00

.... where would you be hiding in my apartment?

It's hard ... being a geek ...

2009-01-12T20:34:00.008-05:00

~~way way up~~ miles above the Arctic Circle. ** changed due to "legal" demands ... infringmemnt my *** :-P

Piled Higher and Deeper Comics (a.k.a. PhD Comics)

I admit it. I am a geek. Not a nerd, but a geek [for a geek vs. nerd definition and a guide on how to tell the difference between a geek and a nerd]. I love my tech toys. But living way up North can be a little painful for a geek like me.

It's not like I can hop on the bus and head to the local Futureshop, Apple Store or homebrew computer center. I miss being able to stop in at those places and play with what ever new tech-toy just came out, to scope out what is coming through the pipes, and to decide what I am going to drool over for the next three months while I save up the $$ to get it.

There aren't too many other people here in the north that get the geeky things in life (at least up here - I can count them on one hand). It's hard to talk geek to anyone, most of the time I just get blank looks and the do I need to know this stare.

My geekdom is pretty limited here. I can look at and research all of the new tech-toys, but I'm a tactile geek - I like to be able to hold it in my hands and see how it "feels" and "works" before committing myself to a relationship.

Even the process of trying to get tech-toys up North is painful. Futureshop, BestBuy and The Source charges an arm and a leg for shipping, Dell can't seem to get a package to you, my local independent computer shop back home wants to charge me UPS rates ... at least Apple half of the time can get things to us up here relatively quickly ... unless they ship it to your southern address instead of your northern address.

Heck, I can hardly even download my favorite technology podcasts ... as they push me over my measly 2GB limit way too quickly. I have no idea what is going on in the world! I don't even know what was said at the last MacWorld!

Yeah, I could just send a list of what I want down south to my mom or some of my other geek inclined friends, but then I have to wait for them to get up to the shops, shove it in the mail, and hope that Canada Post/First Air doesn't loose it in the process.

So, until I make it down south, I guess I will just have to continue my tech-toy withdrawl ... oh, it's so painful .. its like giving up coffee during exam week.

Moon over Arctic Bay

2009-01-11T18:57:00.003-05:00

Night Time Pictures

2009-01-10T18:58:00.006-05:00

First Week Back Wrap Up

2009-01-09T21:19:00.002-05:00

The first week back to school was a crazy one. Things started out pretty rocky right off the bat with some unexpected events at school ... but we all pulled together and made the best of it. Wednesday, the kids came back to school - excited and happy to be back at school ... but oh so exhausted as their sleep patterns are still all topsy turvy from the holidays.

My classes are going well ... they keep getting larger each day. Soon, I really am going to run out of space in my classroom. It's pretty tricky fitting in 31 high school students in a classroom. We have to go on a chair hunt each day and steal chairs from other high school classrooms (usually Darcy's) as during my English class (the last period of the day) I have about 40% of our registered high school students in it. We are having fun though, being crammed into my classroom.

This afternoon during the last 30 min of school we held our second Staff vs. High School Students volley-ball game. It was a fun and challenging game, with us teachers diving and ducking to avoid being beamed in the head with a volley-ball at times. Our high school students sure can hold their ground in sports.

Tonight, everyone is laying pretty low as were all pretty wiped out after this first week back. It's always a struggle getting back into the groove of teaching after a lazy holiday.

Interesting Musings in an Uninterested World

2009-01-07T19:38:00.001-05:00

If you need a good break from the norm ... or just a reality check, head on over to Interesting Musings in an Uninterested World, a blog that has been created by a friend of mine in NJ.

"Announcing ...... the 2nd Nunies"

2009-01-07T19:25:00.003-05:00

Its that time of year again, award show time. Nominations are now open for the biggest and best blogging awards in Nunavut (well, okay the only one) - The Nunies. Once again there will be three categories which are:

1) Best Blog
2) Best New Blog
3) Best Blog Post

Nominations for Best Blog and Best New Blog can be made by anyone. You can nominate up to five blogs in both categories. Nominations can be sent by email to nunavutblogs AT yahoo DOT ca and must be received by midnight January 12, 2009.

[nabbed from Clare @ The House and Other Arctic Musings]

So yes readers, it is that time again. The Nunies are back. Send Clare on a message nominating your favorite Nunavut blogs!

Here Comes the Sun

2009-01-07T18:58:00.003-05:00

Exciting times here in the North! School has started up again ... and... wait for it ... the sun is beginning to make its presence known! Over the last couple of days we've been having an ever increasing pink glow on the horizon - which can mean only one thing ... we are exiting from the dark side of the moon!

This was what it was looking like just before noon today here in Arctic Bay.

Call for Backup

2009-01-06T07:04:00.005-05:00

I don't normally get 'political' on Tales from the Arctic, but over the past two years here in the North I have met some amazing Members and their families, and also have many university friends who joined the force as well.

Call For Backup Canada

Airplanes and Waterfalls

2009-01-05T00:55:00.004-05:00

Well, most of our southern staff that went out for the holidays (minus the Northern Newfie, our SST and our grade 4/5 teacher) made it back to Arctic Bay today .... slightly delayed, but back. So, we of course can start the new term since we have a) enough teachers and b) enough supply teachers to cover for the missing teachers.

However .... someone / something out there (Murphy's Law perhaps?) decided to grant us an extra day off. Some time during the last 24 - 36 hours, one of our sprinkler pipes decided to burst, flooding the elementary wing. I haven't seen the 'damage' yet, but our custodial staff is working hard to get things cleaned up so we can open school as soon as possible. I think I'll be heading down tomorrow to clean up (or at least see what the 'damage' was to) my classrooms. I'm hoping not too much.

At least I get one more day to get my body back on a proper sleeping schedule so I won't be a walking zombie when the kiddies hit my classroom. Oh, who am I kidding, I'll probably still be a walking zombie. "Brains ..... brains.... need to find brains....."

Quick New Years 2009 in Arctic Bay Overview

2009-01-01T16:35:00.002-05:00

New Years in the North is a pretty amazing sight. Starting at 5:00 pm Dec. 31 and running until the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 1 there were activities all around.

At 5:00pm there was a feast in the gym followed by some games and the New Years Eve church service.

At 12:00 am everyone (that has a skidoo, quad, truck....) goes out onto the ice out towards the point to organize themselves into a long parade of vehicles that snake across the ice in huge 'S' patterns. Then there is the parade around town where everyone who was on the ice rides around town.

After the parade, games and dances continue at the gym. And this was just amazing to watch. I do have video footage, and I'll get to editing it soon and get it posted up for everyone to see some traditional dancing up here in the North.

So, how am I spending my New Years Day? I'm currently curled up on the couch waiting to be put out of my misery - as some one either a) sent me the flu or b) gave me the flu. At least I'm getting it out of the way before school starts up again .... although, a couple of days off with the flu wouldn't be a bad thing either :-P

Happy New Years!

2009-01-01T03:43:00.002-05:00

Happy New Years Readers!

Yes, 2008 came in strong and went out strong .. and in good fashion 2009 is coming in strong too. This is just a little note for now as I am beat - just got back in from the gym where we were brining in 2009 just like if we were partying as if it were 1999. It's now 3:45 am and they are still going strong down at the gym. I was nodding off and turning into a walking zombie so I packed it in and headed home.

So here it is, 2009.

More on this mornings events later on today (when I am capable of typing with both hands again).

Taima

More Christmas Games

2008-12-30T23:09:00.005-05:00

Tonight after getting my door knob replaced (yeah!) myself and another teacher who is staying up here for the holidays ventured down to the Christmas Games at the gym. Tonight, the Northern Store was 'hosting' the games ... and there was prizes, candy and toys flying all over the place.

In the Knot untying game, if you rolled a one on the dice you got to run to the middle and untie one of the knots in the rope. Who ever unties the last knot wins the game.

In this game, we had to roll a two to be able to run to the middle and un-tape a nail before hammering it into the chunk of wood. Who ever is the lucky one to hammer in the last nail wins the game.

Oh, how I loathe my Door

2008-12-30T18:50:00.003-05:00

Oh, door knob?
Why must you hate me so?
Freezing up and locking me outside is not acceptable.
Neither is locking and then not unlocking.

I have tinkered with you to no end,
Trying to make you work nicely,
Alas, you choose not to work completely.

So I have called the handyman again
and they are going to bang you around until you work.

So yes, yet again, my door knob is on the fritz . I don't know what it is with door knobs these days and me. Sigh. With any luck it will be fixed in a little bit (this is only the fourth call to housing today to get it repaired. Let's see if the fourth time is the charm :-) )

What is my next step? Probably calling up Holmes on Homes and pleading my case for his need to come up North (I know, I can dream and wish).

Hide and Seek

2008-12-29T23:19:00.003-05:00

Although I am pretty sure many of us have seen this before (I think I got it in an email over the summer) ... it has finally hit a 'newspaper'.

Mmmm, looks like dinner time

I'm gonna getcha

The Daily Mail (a UK Newspaper) reports on a "Chilling game of hide and seek with a hungry polar bear".

UPDATE: for any one curious, I have found what I believe to be the originating site / post of these photos that the Daily Mail is using : Alaska HDTV: A Bad Day at Work and Alaska HDTV Podshow Flckr Stream.

Garbage Bag Twisty Game

2008-12-29T22:49:00.002-05:00

One of the games played tonight at the games I've dubbed the "Garbage Bag Twisty Game". Essentially, a garbage bag (or two) is tied together into a figure eight shape and with a partner you have to pull the bag from your head down your body and then pass it on to the next team. Which ever team has the bag when the music stops is out.

Update from the North

2008-12-29T15:40:00.002-05:00

Nothing much has been going on up here in the frozen land of Arctic Bay. The weather ... well.. has been pretty craptacular as of late. Temperatures can't quite make up their mind wether they want to stay below 40 or above -20, which is causing all sorts of weather drama - ice fog, snow and of course the wind. Oh how I hate the arctic wind - it just burns the skin.

Christmas games are going along as planned, I hope to get down to the gym tonight to watch some more (if the weather doesn't turn on me again).

I've been getting more lessons prepared up for my classes that start in January - oh, it's gonna be a wonderful month of grammar, grammar, and more grammar (hope my students will enjoy it).

What have I been up to? Well, the same'ol same'ol. Listening to new tunes, reading and of course catching up on my TV shows (how I love being able to get my TV on DVD now .. so much easier, especially when the satellite up here goes on the fritz and I can't get any TV).

Past that, I've just been relaxing and enjoying my last couple of days off .... as soon, it will be back to the grind of edumacating.

The Go Find Game

2008-12-27T00:34:00.003-05:00

At least that is what I call it. In this game, all of the kids, 7-9 are given instructions to 'find' certain objects in the crowd. It could be mittens, a quarter, a red sneaker or a Toronto Maple Leaf's logo. I always enjoy watching this game as the kids just scramble all around the gym spying who ever might be sporting the required element.

Arctic Jig

2008-12-26T22:14:00.004-05:00

Tonight I ventured down to the community gym where our Christmas Games are going on. The games were being 'hosted' by the Hamlet tonight, which were primarily for the kiddies although, later on in the night it does switch over to 16+ games and a dance.

While I was there, I got to watch my first (I know, how sad is that??!! I've been in the Arctic 1.5 years) 'arctic jig'. It's more or less like what we do down on the East coast ... minus the techno-squeezebox music.

Santa Made it to Baffin Island

2008-12-25T00:04:00.004-05:00

Santa and his fleet or Reindeer flew over Baffin Island tonight dropping off some nice goodies at my tree.

Santa is now en-route across the rest of Canada now .. keep your eyes to the sky ... you might just get a glimpse of him in the sky.

And incase you missed him along his journey, you can catch up on the highlights of his visits around the world.