Weblog: Leaving for Prince George to Brush
<< Previous Entry | Next Entry >>
Tomorrow (Sun May 25) I will be leaving for Prince George to start my new job (after a week of initial training and certification). I have set everything up to update the site while I'm away, so hopefully I will be able post some pictures. This job is just for the summer, and I should be returning between late August and early October.
I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this... it's just what I'm doing, and I haven't really thought about it all that much. I'm a little bit nervous, and a little bit excited, but not much of either. I'm mainly excited about what I'll do after this work is done at the end of the summer. Not that I know what that'll be, but I have so many fun and interesting possibilities it mind, and hopefully my subconscious will sort it all out over the summer while my mind is focused on work.
I have cancelled my mobile, so my old phone number will no longer work (Fido doesn't have coverage in PG anyway). I may get new mobile service with Rogers (I finally got Fido to unlock my phone) once I'm there, if I determine that it will be useful. I'll likely only be in a covered area once or twice a week anyway.
The best way to reach me will certainly be by e-mail. I should be able to check it at least once a week. Please make sure your message subject doesn't look like SPAM, because I'll have to wade through so much junk that my trigger finger will be itchy on the delete key.
To snail-mail me something, see my contact info, which has an address that you can send stuff to so it will get forwarded to me on my days off.
I was in Vancouver on Wednesday to buy supplies. I got some manly looking chainsaw boots with caulks (sharp metal spikes on the bottom) at Neville Crosby (which is next door to Radical's building), as well going to MEC to get stuff that hopefully will keep me warm on wet days. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to fit everything in my pack (light travel isn't my forte). I'm not sure if seeing a guy with caulked chainsaw boots in his pack limping off the ferry was a good omen.
While walking along W. Broadway near the Skytrain station, I witnessed a skateboarder get hit by a car. Stupid, poor, stupid kid. He was crossing the street on his skateboard after traffic had started to move from a nearby traffic light. In the middle lane he nearly got hit by a minivan, and the car coming up in the right lane had no way to see him, nor he the car. I don't know how fast the car was moving, but where he landed was about five metres from where the car stopped. He was screaming in pain, holding his leg, blood running from his nose. Anything I learned for my level one first aid course disappeared from my head. I was useless. About the only thing I managed was to call 911, barely even able to tell the operator my location. I just stood there. In retrospect, doing nothing was probably best. His screams meant that he was clearly conscious and breathing, and there was risk of spinal injury. About all I could have done was cover him with something to keep him warm. A police officer showed up quickly (in fact, she was there before I was even finished talking to 911) and took over, but she payed surprisingly little attention to the kid lying on the street. She seemed more concerned about being delayed on her way home, but I suppose the police see this sort of thing a lot. A firetruck and paramedics arrived a few minutes later. Meanwhile, a group of other skaters had formed, and of course they assumed the driver was at fault. It took the paramedics about 40 minutes before the kid was finally in the ambulance. One of his legs was broken in two places, and he was in a neck brace as they loaded him onto the stretcher. All told I was at the scene for about 75 minutes, mostly waiting until the police took my statement and letting it all sink in. I feel bad for the kid; he's not going anywhere for a few months, but I feel worse for the driver. He was a nice guy and was pretty shaken up. Since then, every time I see a kid on a skateboard I want to tell them this story and warn them to be careful (silly, I know). It also makes me much more careful driving. You always know that something unexected can happen, but seeing such a graphic example just a few metres away from me really brought it home.
Posted on Sat, 24 May 2020 at Saanich, BC, CA (map/google earth)
Copyright 1995-2006 Emanuel Borsboom.
All content on this site is licensed under a
Creative Commons License,
unless otherwise specified.