Give it back

Ah, summer time. The season where getting out of town is everyone's goal, and Jasper's streets and hotels swell with an influx of tourists enjoying all the town has to offer.

The same goes for Jasper residents, such as myself. Vacations mean getting out of the Athabasca Valley and out into the world beyond.

I have heard many claims of Jasper being too expensive to travel too. We're compared to Banff and so on, but I stumbled across a new comparison during my summer vacation that kind of put it all into perspective. Is Jasper really that bad compared to the rest of the Canadian tourist market?

I had never been to Vancouver before, except to take the ferry from Tsawwassen to Victoria, and I demanded that this year's Vancouver Island trip take us there. My travelling companion and mother agreed that a night spent there would be fantastic. We got a nice hotel for a reasonable amount of money, found a cheap and delicious in-room meal, and in the morning we discovered a free hot breakfast – this was not your typical continental spread of muffins and old cereal boxes. There were fresh eggs, sausages and french toast and so much more. We left the hotel happy, and early after deciding to ditch our 12 o'clock ferry reservation that set us back by $17. Arriving at the ferry terminal we were near the front for the 10 o'clock. We pulled up to the ticket booth, and were utterly astounded to be slapped with a $77 fare – one way – for two passengers and a small Toyota car.

I hate to be that 23-year-old, but when I was a kid, I remember thinking $50 was too much for the ferry. Now I realize it's a crown corporation with a high-paid CEO that is constantly running into scandals and money problems – forcing the fares to be hiked ever higher. That CEO David Hahn made over $1 million last year – including “performance-based incentives” – to captain a corporation that appears to be in grave danger of running aground.

We paid our $77, because obviously we were ill-equipped to pull a Huckleberry Finn and sail across the Straight of Georgia ourselves -- but we weren't happy about it. Once in Campbell River, our destination, we took Grandma to Quadra Island for a day – which we paid over $30 for a 10 minute ferry ride. Towards the end of our vacation, we heard on the news that BC Ferries will be dropping a few routes due to decreased traffic.

Do they really have to wonder why it's happening? How many families can afford such a trip? Looking on the BC Ferries website, I discovered that for a family of five with a camper trailer and truck totaling 30 feet in length, it would cost $147.75. Then there's the gas to power the truck, the food for three kids, the lure of the video games on the ferry (They had Super Mario Kart in the arcade. Even I had a hard time not blowing all my money on it) and the food they will inevitably need halfway through unless you had the chance to make a lunch before you left for the ferry terminal to catch a 6 a.m. sailing. Once you arrive to your destination, you better hope you have already found a good campground or a cheap hotel. If not, you are at the mercy of last minute hotel finding.

It's just plain expensive to travel now, no matter where you go. When Josh and I drove across the country last year, we had his tiny Kia, packed full of stuff to the roof, and we tented whenever we could, or whenever I was not too lazy to help him set up camp. When we did hotel it, we went cheap. REAL cheap. It was a great way to travel, but it is certainly not feasible for a family. The two of us were just fine, and had a wonderful routine by the end of it; we'd roll in, park, both hop out of the car and start moving. The cooking stuff came out first, and I cooked and prepared dinner while Josh set up the tent.

We work for a living so we can get out on vacations, yet when we do, it's too expensive to truly enjoy yourself. What the hell, tourism industry? You wonder why the economy is affecting you so much, but it's glaringly obvious. Give people their ability to vacation back.

In related news, thanks for stepping down, David Hahn. As I've previously stated here, your resignation was seriously needed -- but quit acting so high and mighty like you are single-handedly saving BC Ferries. You are the one that got them in this situation in the first place.

Love,
Annalee.

Oh the humanity

I had a stupid, sucky dream last night. One where I woke up confused, and then heartbroken all at the same time. Why is my subconscious so mean to me?

The dream was basically just that Josh lived in Jasper. For whatever reason I woke up thinking that he did, and I turned over to discover my empty bed and wondered why I wasn't just staying at his house. Then my brain slowly woke up, and I realized I couldn't stay at his house, because he doesn't have a house and he is actually in Detroit, not Jasper.

Not cool, brain!

Love,
Annalee.

Namey name

I have to question the personality of anyone who can't pronounce my name. It's just so simply – Annalee. It is two of the most common names in the entire English speaking world sandwiched together into one, yet this concept seems to baffle everyone.

I've been misnamed so many times, and it constantly drives me insane. the most common is Annaliese. Who is even named that anymore? The second is Emily. To be honest, I have a cousin named Emily and I have at times been known to respond to it, or nearly respond to it. Then things get a little more bizarre; Daniella, Anna Marie or Maria, Natalie...you name it, I've been called it. I even had someone say to me the other day: "How do you pronounce your name again? It's like Natalia, only with an A?

No, it's not Natalia with an A. It's Anna, and then Lee, and then it's put all together and wrapped up in a nice neat little purple-haired package that doesn't like to be called things like Natalia, Anna Maria or Annaliese.

Get it straight.

The reason why this bothers me so much, is that it shows just how much people don't listen, or don't care, or just how socially unaware they are. I admit, I am terrible with names. As a journalist I do my best to write names down as I meet people, but sometimes I attend an event and meet fifty people before I realize their names have all slipped in one ear and out the other. The way I compensate for this is, by simply not saying people's names unless I'm absolutely sure. Sometimes I'll ask someone else what their name is, or I'll get someone I'm with to introduce themselves to the person (then I will sneakily say "Oh! I'm so sorry, I should have introduced you two!"). The point is, I recognize that people hate being called names that they're not, and I compensate for my terrible memory by not naming names till I'm sure.

So open your ears, people. Don't name people until you know for sure who they are, and just listen when I say mine. It's fairly simple.

Hurrumph.

Love,
Annalee.

Wordle

I created this for my blog today. Very neat! Hope to figure out a way to do a few more,
since I like words and all.

Check out the full photo here.

Eeeek, my foot just passed completely out while figuring out how to post this without screwing with my formatting. Tingle tingle!

Love,
Annalee.

Party Mama

I have a few hours till I have to take off to the Grave Mistakes Show, or maybe not. They are opening. Sigh. I should go soon.

I'm watching this absolutely terrible Party Mamas show, where this sickening woman is planning a $30,000 birthday party for her 9 year old son. I can't believe what people will spend their money on! Give me some of that cheddah! She even has a guy who does up her belt for her, a personal stylist. He put her in jeans, a pink and green argyle shirt and a tacky silver belt. I could have done that shit. Let me be your stylist!

I made myself birthday lasagna today. The recipe is here. I of course added two more cloves of garlic (With my 23rd birthday approaching I have decided the biggest lesson I've learned is that you should never, ever listen to the conservative requests for garlic that recipes encourage. Always triple it, at least), artichokes, a tub of cottage cheese, more mozza and parmesan and scallops. Yummm!!

Anyway, Better go get my shit together and head to work.

Love,
Annalee.

Polish and nature

I thought I pulled a muscle today, while recoiling in fear from a swarming wasp. I was out on the side deck painting my toe nails. It didn't occur to me that nail polish and nature do not go well. I did a less than perfect job, but that's how I roll.

I woke up around 10, and stayed in bed till noon. It was nice to have a day where I had no where to go, no where to be. I felt a bit lost, however. I walked up to the Community Garden, where our remarkable growth has become a bit of a talking point. Everyone can't believe us first time gardeners have like, the best garden. Everything is growing now! We have beans, peas, tons of garlic. The potatoes are growing like crazy. Some people haven't even planted yet! I can't wait to start eating stuff. The lettuce should be first, then maybe those beans. Mmmm, mmm!

Grow like the wind! Little lettuce plants!

After the garden, I set up the basket chair thingy on the deck and listened to some acoustic Against Me while painting my nails. It got chilly, so I went outside and cooked myself a very nutritionless dinner of stuffed cordon bleu chicken breast and Kraft dinner. My roommate poked fun at me, and I shot back that I am extremely poor and rationing food.

I'm looking forward to the summer a lot. Since kayaking with Josh I really want to get into it more. I priced out a new one, they start around $500 -- $700 with a paddle and life jacket and tax. Maybe I can get my hands on a used one, or else just rent this season. Renting is probably the best option for me at this point. Finding a kayaking partner -- now that is the other challenge.

There's another effing mosquito in my room. I chased him out. This is going to be a long and very itchy summer thanks to my landlords. I could really use a freaking screen. Hopefully on payday I can find something at Home Hardware to rig something up.

I covered a gymkhana yesterday in Hinton. It made me miss Blackberry so much. There were some gorgeous paints kicking ass at barrels and pole bending. I always loved pole bending, and so did Blackie.

I'm getting pretty sleepy. Josh was on Skype a few hours ago, he couldn't get to sleep after only getting about seven hours total while in Vegas. Looks like he finally got there, he eventually signed off. I miss him really badly today. Time for bed for me too, now that I'm talking about him sleeping!!

Love,
Annalee.

Heading to the nook

Sigh...I have an afternoon off. Being a workaholic, I always find myself having to do something, anything! To fill the time. So my day has been mapped out. I made an enchilada-like thingy for lunch. Put a deer roast in the slow cooker with mushroom soup, onion soup mix and assorted other ingredients (here, if you want to try it out. It's a great recipe for a deer roast, and it's stuff I usually have lying around the house). Now I'm sitting down to eat, and then I have many, many other plans.

Mostly, they all involve doing anything to avoid cleaning my room, but I just need to do it. I need my stretchy exercise pants cleaned so I can get back to the gym, so I guess I'll at least get that done. I want to make mint Nanaimo bars, and read in the nook on the deck that Jordan created while I was gone. Our comfy chair that I always say is like getting a hug is out on the side deck, along with a few flowers and my strawberry and raspberry plants. The sun is there most of the afternoon. It's a perfect spot.

My beloved strawberries in the nook, growing!

I have no more news, really. I wrote yesterday, but I'm determined to keep this blog going again this time. I'll post my progress on the bars, and maybe some photos and a recipe. Better get to the laundry! I was watching MASH, but they seem to have screwed up and played the same one twice. Stupid History channel.

Love,
Annalee.