Blowing This Popsicle Stand

We know, we know... it has been too long since our last post. So long, in fact, that this post really is going to be our last one for a while. Kate is just finishing up packing to go to South Carolina and I just got word from the Feds that I start language training in Ottawa on September 4th. So, today is our "take a deep breath" day, before both of us embark on new adventures (Kate's of the button-down and mine of the button-up variety).
More in a bit...

You know you're from Thunder Bay when...

1. You never meet any celebrities except ex-Thunder Bay Flyers and every chick you know dated at least three of them.

2. Your idea of a traffic jam is getting out of the Red River Rd. Beer store parking lot at 5 p.m. Friday before any long weekend.

3. When you venture out of Thunder Bay, you're the only one who knows what a shag and a camp is!

4. You know what the 'Hoito' is.

5. "Vacation" means going to Winnipeg, Duluth or Minneapolis!

6. You've seen all the "big" bands at the CLE or Coyotes ten years after they were popular.

7. You measure distance in hours.

8. You know several people who have collided with moose or skunk more than once.

9. Your classes were cancelled because of the cold or snow.

10. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

11. You use a down comforter in the summer.

12. You plan your financial future around the Charity Casino.

13. You see people wearing Ski-doo and Polaris jackets at social events.

14. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

15. You think of the major four food groups as Stanley Burgers, Persians, Labatts Crystal, and Blueberries.

16. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend knows how to use them.

17. There are always four empty cars running in the parking lot of Mike's Mart at any given time.

18. You only own three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

19. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

20. You know driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

21. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.

22. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.

23.You know that the Chronicle Journal covers national and international headlines on the bottom corner of one page and requires six pages for sports coverage.

24. You know which leaves make good toilet paper.

25. You have an outhouse and prefer to use it.

26. You know all four seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Construction.

27. There's a Robin's Donuts per every 1000 capita.

28. You know where the Sleeping Giant lives.

29. It takes three hours to get through Intercity for one item even when you're in a rush because you have to stop and talk to everyone in town.

30. You know where the McKellar Confectionery is located.

31. You know the frustration of waiting in backed up traffic on Memorial at the busiest time of day while the train does its thing.

32. You actually understand all of these and forward them to all your friends and family from Thunder Bay.

All this from a mass email... funny enough to share. A&K

Brrrr... New Year's Eve chez Rusnak

"A lot of people like snow.
I find it an unnecessary freezing of water."
- Carl Reiner

"People ask me, 'where's the best barbecue?'
I tell them, 'the best barbecue is any place that I am.'"
-John Willingham, Willingham's Championship BBQ

"If you looking, you ain't cooking"
-tehigh (BBQ Forum 2005)

Holla Holla Holla Holla

Karaoke, noun:
(BBC's definition)

Karaoke is believed to have orginated in a small bar in Japan. The in-house band recorded their music onto tape, and if they were not there the singer would just sing along to the tape. The word Karaoke was written on the tape, Kara meaning missing and Oke meaning band or orchestra.

Karaoke evenings are popular events, usually held in pubs, clubs and bars. After over-consumption of cheap alcoholic beverages, normally timid, tone-deaf individuals suddenly decide that they were, after all, destined to be the next George Michael or Celine Dion. Encouraged by their inebriated friends, they take to the stage to share their new-found talents with the room. Microphone in hand, they belt out any number of songs, attempting to follow the lyrics on a screen. A little white ball skips along the top of the words, gently encouraging them to sing in time to the music, which is rendered by the karaoke machine. This is rarely achieved. Part of the fun of karaoke is watching participants humiliating themselves as they passionately strangle popular classics.

Another part of the fun is leaving the pub the second that the karaoke machine kicks in.

Our version:

Karaoke was savagely wrecked on 7 or 8 disinterested guys with mullets at the Shoreline Motor Hotel bar. Seedy doesn't even begin to describe it - and there was certainly no "in-house band"... although there was a "powder room" for the ladies. That part was 100% class.

Not exactly popular, the Karaoke was squeezed into the commercial breaks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Undeterred, several of us, none drunk - all definitely loud, obnoxious and tone deaf, entertained the masses with eloquent yelping and impromptu dance numbers. Ok, ok. We practise in front of the mirror at home - doing the odd demo for our respective parents when the mood strikes us.

We are not ambitious enough to want to be George Michael or Celine Dion. The Backstreet Boys' repetoire is more suitable for our range.

The white ball LIES.

Someone almost lost a tooth on the microphone.

See for yourself:

The Sun is Setting on Red Rock

I guess we spoke a little too soon. Red Rock made the front page of the local newspaper after all. It's a good article, although the writing isn't fantastic. This is a very sad, confusing and emotional time for this tiny community (about an hour Northeast of Thunder Bay - population 1000), where the liner board mill owned by Norampac, Inc. was the major employer. People are in a daze - out of work, ill-prepared to "adapt" to "the prevailing negative impact of several economic factors" (the mills recruited most of its workers right out of high school... before they graduated), standing helplessly by as the value of their homes drop (to less than $15,000 each, it is rumoured). People are losing both their livelihoods and their home. Maybe dazed isn't the most appropriate word - traumatized would be more accurate.

The link to the article on Red Rock.

The link to Norampac Inc.'s press release, which is very clear about the increase in profitability in the period before the mill in Red Rock closed and obtuse about the reasons why the corporation closed the mill. Yes, the mill itself is old and expensive. But whose fault is that?

A climate of fear

Some of you may have heard about the mills closing up north and the troubles with the forest industry. It's very devastating, and I'm sure we will write at length about it. Ontario's provincial government just swept in to our little city on Nov. 21 to announce a $1 billion energy rebate plan to support this ailing industry. An editorial was later written about this planned investment called, "Just enough is not enough." I think many people up here in the northern communities would have to agree. Here is a letter from Friday's Chronicle Journal written by one of these concerned citizens:

A climate of fear

I have been a Bowater employee for 28 years. The current problems at our mill are multiple and varied. Power cost is the most pressing. What has now been shown by our government and MPPs, is that we have been given a false sense of hope and then had the rug pulled out from underneath us. Every employee knew that when the contents of the Premier's press conference were announced, we were in serious trouble ("Energy rebate plan in place," Nov. 21). Our mill is being run by people who have already shut down a paper mill, and it appears they may have the intention to do it again.

We used to be a world-class newsprint producer, shipping paper around the world. Now we struggle to make bags for fast food restaurants. The reason is that all of our newsprint orders have been shipped to other Bowater mills in the U.S.

If our local MPPs believe this is such a good deal from their government, I ask, "How is it good?" Maybe the rebate money won't even won't even stay here. Remember Bowater's Softwood Lumber Tariff rebate? Every last cent of it went to the American head office. How did that help our mill?

MPPs Bill Mauro and Michael Gravelle applauded their leader's announcement. "I wanted some assurance that it would be helpful to the industry," said Mauro, pointing to the company executives' comments.

Gravelle predicted benefits through the program. "(Companies) have made it clear to us this will make them more competitive and help keep them open," he said.

How is this helpful to the industry - giving corporations free money without ensuring that it be used to keep jobs here? Of course the companies have made it clear it will help - with their bottom line!

Christmas came early to Bowater Inc., with this rebate. For the employees it may be a dismal time indeed. We have already lost many jobs to reorganization and restructuring - "corporatespeak" for cutting jobs. The strange thing is the majority of people let go are union people (close to 300) while company staff had a mere 20 layoffs!

There is a climate of fear at Bowater. It permeates throughout the mill. Employees are afraid for their jobs, their families and full of uncertainty for their future. Loyal, long-time employees of 26 years and more could be cast aside when they are no longer needed. This type of corporate attitude used to be confined to other places and other countries; now it has come to reside in our own town.

Employees are instructed to produce more, with fewer people. One area of the mill used to have three employees per shift. Now there is only one. The workload however, has not diminished. An impossible task!

People are told to come in on their day off to work overtime, even though it would be easier and cheaper to bring in laid-off employees at straight time. The management team at Bowater has been telling us for months that wages are not a factor in our troubled times, but apparently it is now an issue. Perhaps to replace the hydro rebates (taxpayers' money) heading to head office in the U.S.A. instead of remaining here, where is was intended to offset our mill costs.

My wife and I will not attend the company's scheduled meetings - our solutions are not wanted or listened to. Even though the employees have had good ideas on cost saving, they are ignored.

The plans they have are unknown at this time. Bowater is following a corporate agenda that is not in the best interests of its employees or our community.

When all is said and done, the citizens of Thunder Bay will feel the impact on their taxes, in our collective economy and the unemployment rate. I hope it is remembered come provincial election time!

My even speaking about these facts could cost me my job, but I will not remain silent while corporate spin doctors distort the truth.

Kelly Sherlock
Thunder Bay

While this letter was printed and read, the mill in Red Rock, which closed just recently, remains out-of-sight in the media and consequently not on many peoples' minds. The closure of this mill, which gave our uncles employment and so many people living in that small community, a place where our mother and her family grew up and some still live, could be the death of this small town. Just enough, we'd have to say, is certainly not enough.

WARNING: The following post contains a graphic photo. Scroll down at your own risk...

On a fine Thanksgiving weekend afternoon, the sisters Rusnak decided to take friends on a horseback riding adventure through the colourful woods of Thunder Bay. Needless to say, I think we all got a little more than we bargained for.

Talking about the October moose hunt, and regretting our choice of neutral colours for the ride through the forest, we arrived at friend's house to pick up a fellow rider. Pulling up in the driveway, we saw an elaborate painting of a moose on the garage door. And we bet you can guess what we found behind it...

Poor Mr. Moose was hung from the ceiling, killed just a few hours before. Could there be anything more Northern than this? We seriously doubt it. In case some of you are disturbed by this image, we were assured that Mr. Moose was killed quickly and will be enjoyed by many a family member. I don't think we'll ever be able to think about the moose hunt the same way again.

We did, however, make it out to the ranch to go on our much anticipated horse ride and hope there will be many more rides in the future. And so the adventures in the Great White North continue...

More pictures of Da Big Tunda...

Thunder Bay may be no sunny Mexico or super fly big A., but it certainly has its charms. I mean, the Sleeping Giant, Old Fort William, Kakabeka Falls... who would say these aren't primo tourist gems.

While we're on the subject of semi-precious stones, did you know that Thunder Bay is also in the heart of amethyst country? This gem was apparently found in such abundance that Ontario named it its official gemstone in 1975. Pretty cool, eh? If you thought that fact was neat-o, just wait, we've got lots more where that came from. Oh yes, Thunder Bay is a regular treasure trove of fun facts and interesting trivia just waiting to be mined!

From green to yellow... fall is here!

Returning home to Thunder Bay in September has many advantages... among them are hiking with dogs (and friends) and seeing the fall colours.

Where the Yard Salers at?



Ah... nothing says quality time with family like a good, old-fashioned yard sale. There was bickering over old cross-country ski sets, annoying devil-sticking routines performed every hour, on the hour, by Alexiss for the entertainment of the neighbourhood, parading around in our mother's old bridal paraphenalia and our dad's wetsuit from 1965, trolling ebay to find out how much a creepy Cricket doll goes for nowadays (we were hoping we might have hit the goldmine with the perky, aryan doll... but it turns out the little tramp tricks for less than 20 bones!). Despite the fact that Kate and I both have some professional communications/marketing experience, we managed to bomb the newspaper ad so thoroughly that only 10 people showed up... forcing us to hold not just one yard sale on a fine October weekend, but two.

We thought you might enjoy the short film "Where the Yard Salers at" - our version of a quasi-philosophical discussion about people, what they like, where they are and why the hell they didn't come to our yard sale. We apologize that the sound is a bit off here - so the video won't be as funny for you as it is for us. Or maybe it will be funnier... you'll just have to see!

Wish you could have been there!