Bill – My First Hurricane

Living in Toronto, one doesn’t come across hurricanes. You may get thunderstorms galore, and the occasional tornado (sometimes deadly, my heart goes out to Durham, Ontario) but the ocean is way too far away for hurricanes.

But here in my new home, I am living by the sea. And the sea brings different weather patterns than the cities in the centre of the universe – er- country.

The news is all abuzz with talk about Hurricane Bill. It’s coming en route from Bermuda. It’s a big deal for the oil rigs out off the coast, as the winds mean big waves.

“The southeast coast of Newfoundland should prepare for winds exceeding 120 km/h”

Check out the images of Hurricane Bill from NOAA and The Satellite Services Division of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) which  provides real time access to satellite data and products for the public and government. I just copied that phrase directly from their site.

Time to batten down the hatches. And check if the roof repair job holds.

By the way, it’s amazing how many idiomatic expressions come from sailing. I was once at the naval museum in Penetang, Ontario, and they gave a wonderful demo of sea life in the Victorian times, including the origins of many expressions. Battening the hatch is a naval term. It means to prepare for trouble. ‘Battening down’ was done on ships when bad weather was expected. Just so you know.

Running With the Artists

One of the reasons I moved to Newfoundland is because I have a strong romantic notion based on an idealized version of Paris in the twenties – one where artists run amok from salon to salon, breaking boundaries, blowing minds and spreading ideas of freedom with wild and productive abandon. I even moved to Prague during the summer of ‘95 looking for it, as the rumour was at the time that it was the Paris of the twenties.

It wasn’t. I didn’t find what I was looking for in Prague, namely great or at least heartfelt art (exception here for the Misery Loves Company which produced an astounding clown theatre piece,) but I did find it here in St. John’s.

I love the arts scene. I have been told my many that there are more artists living in te A1x xxx area code then anywhere else in Canada. I have heard it said that everyone and their uncle is in a band in St. John’s. I have run with the filmmakers, theatre artists, clowns and painters – all at once because they run together – not fractured or splintered or divided. And that’s the way I like it.

On a feminist note, I have seen girls running down water street with guitars slung on their back in place of $10,000 designer bags, and it makes my heart swell. Go sing it loud!

Today an article in the Globe and Mail talks about the burgeoning music scene here in St. John’s,

With Hey Rosetta! nominated for the national award, St. John’s may be on its way to becoming Canada’s next indie rock capital.

Not only is St. John’s abounding with artists, it has the highest percentage of arts appreciators too. The audiences love the music. The performers can’t help but pick up on the love and send it right back out to the crowd. The result is electrifying.

Jud Haynes, formerly of Wintersleep, has moved back home and formed Mightypop.ca, a booking company responsible for bringing in some wonderful bands to play.

“Almost every band that rolls through,” Haynes says, “someone always says they could picture moving here. What’s funny is when someone does.”

Funny, that’s what I did.

When The Puffins Call You Must Follow

I got a lovely letter from some fellow Ontarians who are hearing the call of the puffins – you know the one that says “you must move out east” – and so decided to break from my round-the-clock job of creating Newfoundland’s latest great export, book trailers, to write back and post a blog post all at the same time.

Dear Patti, this is for you.

Yes, I must say when I had “the calling” to move out to Newfoundland, I was quite astounded. This is because I always thought I would end up in a big cosmopolitan city like New York or Paris (yah, I know, how unoriginal is that?)

But when I first got here to St. John’s, in Oct 2005, I was immediately enchanted. It sounds a bit airy fairy, ya-fer-sure, but wow, when your inner energy matches with the outside energy, it’s magic. Nothing less.

Before I moved out last summer, when people asked why I was moving I’d answer because Newfoundland is magical. They all nodded their head in agreement. Except for one person, but she was from Mississauga, ON, and so that says it all there.

The first week of my arrival I was down at my favourite pub, The Victory, where I am sure to always end up in a cool conversation about Noam Chomsky or some other big head, or singing in three part harmony with some brand new buddies till the wee hours of the morning, when I told one young person that I had recently moved here from Toronto because I loved it so. He nodded and said, “Newfoundland is magic,” then he kissed me on top of the head.

It was like the prophecy was sealed.

Now, not everyone will like getting kissed on top of the head by unknown youngsters half their age in the a tiny local bar where almost everyone knows your name. Some people will actually prefer the anonymity of the suburbs where all the houses look the same, with garages and driveways proudly on display, where you can gate yourself away to feel safe from the so called “others” and spend lots of time in your car driving to and fro from work, or the mall, until it’s time to come home to tend to your lawn.

But not me. I liked it. It was affectionate – and sweet.

I also like it when storekeepers or cashiers half my age call me darling -and even dear. I like it lots, and it it still shocks or “wakes me up” each time I hear it. I did not grow up this way. I was a gumba, or a “retard”, or just ignored. I was never a darling.

I think I missed out.

So when everyone else in the world tries to cultivate an image of “coolness” by being reserved, distant and non-committal, I’ll take the province where sweet “bon mots” are doled out liberally, and where being defensive is not a priority, and there is nothing to gain by keeping your distance.

In fact I have found the people of Newfoundland the least afraid people I have ever met.

I call it the the “Galapagos Islands of people.”

Yes, I do. In fact, I have been testing that phrase around town, just to see if someone will be offended, and true to Galapagos form, no one is.

That is because my totally unscientific research has shown that Newfoundlanders are indeed not defensive, and certainly not aggressive. My theory goes like this – just like the animals of the Galapagos islands, the residents here have no natural predators (well, not anymore) and so they need not be fearful, because noone here is “out to get them.”

In other words, it’s nice here. The people are nice. They are the least pretentious I have ever met. It’s small enough that there is still a sense of community. You aren’t just a faceless person in the crowd. And it hasn’t been ruined by capitalism. Yet.*

As a smart political journalist I met while browsing at a souvenir shop told me “Newfoundland is the only place in the world where it’s OK to be poor.”

I think that’s what he said. Or was it “no one cares that you are poor.” Hmm. Is there a difference? To some academic or literature major perhaps there is. But here, I think, nope. It all boils down to the same thing: less predators, less defensiveness, more welcoming, non-judgemental, nice and willing to lend a hand.

I have been to 4 fundraisers all ready since moving here. One most recently for Canadian Idol finalist Jennie Gear’s dad, who is ill with cancer (click here to donate.) All are wondrously attended, with people generous to a fault, donating time or prizes and buying up silent auction goods.

And so, back to them puffins.

Pat, you say you and your hubby both lost your jobs, and though people urge you to go west, your guts want to go east.

What I say is honour your guts. Always honour the guts. Guts know best.

My guts, for example, don’t hear any messages coming from the west. A few visits to Calgary, the rockies and British Columbia interior, and yah, they were right. It is not my scene.

One trip to St. John’s and it was insta-love.

But do visit first and check it out. Of course.

Check the scene/energy/spirit. Is it what you like? I traveled from Toronto to Newfoundland and back last summer in a car taking 3 weeks, exploring along the way, and it was a hoot. I found Newfoundland to have the most character. The other provinces were nice, but they can best be described as “Newfoundland lite.” They just don’t have as much spirit as NL. I am all about spirit.

Just remember that if you drive..it’s far! It takes 17 hours to get here from Halifax. Thats 4 hours to Sydney through Cape Breton single lane highways (we had summer construction and almost missed our ferry), 8 hours for the ferry, including waiting times, then a 10 hour drive from the ferry dock to St. John’s. Wait. that’s 22 hours. Who told me 17? They were definitely speeding. The ferry isn’t cheap either. It’s about $175 for one car plus 2 people.

If you decide to move, don’t think you have to do it all at once. Be creative. Maybe rent your house out furnished for a year, or let “Cousin It” stay in it for a bit taking care of the plants and Fluffy the cat until you find a place to live here. Moving is overwhelming, so if you can spread the chores out, you will have more time to make decisions, and be less stressed out. I for one figured it’s not worth taking my furniture across the country, so I gave it to family, friends, or to the cottage. Now I can start all anew. You’d be amazed at how fun that is.

Jobs – bien sur, this is important. Do check out the online job boards. The weekend Telegram has lots of ads. The paper edition has a lot more job ads than the web sit . I hear there are jobs for skilled trades and labourers in St. John’s – especially in the oil trade. Same for construction or house contractors. But it’s still a small city, so there is less variety than in Toronto, and much less in the other parts of the province.

Try the Chamber of Commerce, or metro governments to see what services they offer. Business directories and business associations may have list of companies that you can contact directly.

The housing market out east is still hot, and last year St. John’s led the country with 12% growth. That said, houses are still affordable..and often not much more than rent.

Do be careful though..there is no natural gas on the island, so heating is with oil or electricity, and oil prices for an old house can run upwards of $500 a month.

Contact other bloggers. Gary Kelly of Cornerbrook is a nice guy with a cool blog. There’s the Newfoundland blog roll too, with over 150 blogs listed.

So, would I recommend moving out East? Yah, definitely. I love it here. Absolutely. What I think is important, or care about, is here. The only thing I complain about is the weather, and come on…we complain about the weather everywhere in Canada.

Is it for everyone? Probably not. But just before I left Toronto I heard stories of other other people who split out east, and none of them regretted it. They all cited the same reason for enjoying their new adopted provinces… their quality of life improved.

You just have more time for life here. And that life is fun.

So, hope to see you soon.

*this came from a conversation I had with a smartypants saying that historically, whenever oil money comes to town, it ruins it. Oil money never improves a town never leaves it better. I haven’t done the research to back this up, but I’d say get here quick. It’s nice now, and things change.

WANTED – Moving To St. John’s Newfoundland Tips

A call out to all ye who have experienced a cross-province move, or a move of any kind once you have acquired years of house junk.

I am looking for the best way to move from Toronto to St. John’s. On the cheap  – because I don’t have a company giving me a 10k move allowance. I asked and I said no back.

Here’s the thing. I do not know how to move. I have never done it permanently. I’ve just run away with knap sacks.

My ideal would be to get rid of everything since most of it came from garage sales or Ikea, anyway. But then I look at my stack of books and feel an OCD attack come on: “what if I need that book that I haven’t read in 25 years!” “I don’t have time or money to replace watermelon ballers, drills, bits and pizza stones.” “No really, I WILL fit into those pants again.”

Plus Kelly Davis told me there’s no Ikea in Newfoundland. Gasp. No Ikea! Does that mean everyone buys real furniture?

One thing I know I definitely will need is my brand spanking new Second Dan Tae Kwon Do Black Belt Trophy. I think it will look lovely in my china cabinet.

Gotcha, I don’t have a china cabinet anymore. I sold it on Facebook Marketplace – which I heartily recommend as it worked out very well. But I do have china – I got it when I did that marriage thing way back. At least my china pattern had staying power.

OK, so here’s your chance to help a pack rat move and leave her “baggage” behind. My mission – to start a new simple, unencumbered zen life in Newfoundland.

Is it worth it to haul over my stuff? Mostly kitchen things like a toaster, blender, food processor, egg cups and baking tins. Then I do have some books. Lots of Christmas decorations. And the basement dwellers, like skates, crowbars, and painting equipment.

I really wish I had my art supplies here. I have huge urges to paint.

And if I did wish it all were with me, does anyone have suggestions for a moving company?

PS. Go ahead and click on the pic. I know you want one of these.