13 April, 2006 (Thursday)

(Picture: Dave & Moi on the Gem Chair)

Big White news:
Happy Easter! It's mid-April and the snow won't stop. We've had more than 40cm in the past three days. It's gone crazy. What's news up here?

• Final week: It's already the 13th, only 4 more sleeps and we're off this hill. The 18th has been reserved for Big White staff festivities - golfing and dinner. After that it sounds like half the hill is headed for Whistler. It's all happening too fast. Eep!
  
• All is quiet on the Western Front: Josh has gone awfully quiet lately. In fact I don't think we've exchanged 20 words in the last 3 weeks. Amie has disappeared. Apparently she's now working housekeeping at the White Crystal. Maybe it has something to do with Dave's outburst last week. But that still wouldn't account for the 2 previous weeks...
• Young romance on the hill: Cris and Emily are happily honey mooning. Although mention it to either and they're likely to deny it all. Lauren seems to be still infatuated with ski patroller Charles. (Picture: Emily and Cris on the Gem chairlift)
  
• Piercing mania: Lauren apparently got a nose stud done today. Chris (Sk8rs) had his lip pierced last week. Emily declared that she didn't think I'd have the guts to do it. Keep you posted. It's the last week and everybody is letting loose.

Nominations are now open
Nominations are now open for my own Big White 2005/2006 awards. The Sammy's were a flop so we might as well make our own effort. Please feel free to nominate categories and names in the comments feedback box. Don't be shy! Winners will be posted on this site come 17 April, 2006.


Short and Pithy
I've been doing some blog surfing lately (the side effect of quiet ticket shifts and an internet connection) and I've been noting the tendency of some blog writers to keep their postings short and pithy. I'm quite jealous of these bloggers, with their concise witticisms and observations. I wish I could find my way out of meandering descriptions and sweeping generalisations. I wish I could just have a few magical epiphanies with which to share with the world.


BC Liquor
The liquor stores here stock an amazing variety of alcohol from all over the world. There's the usual selection of spirits, but then their wine and beer is just as varied - they have wines from local vineyards, California, South America, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Australian varieties seem surprisingly popular, with prices comparable to back home. (Picture: Ptarmigan 311 Liquor cabinet)

Canada is very provincially oriented. Laws and approaches vary from province to province - for example, in BC auto insurance is part of vehicle registration and is all government run, while inAlberta insurance is separate and run by private insurance companies. Similiarly, with alcohol, the BC government controls liquor supply and pricing. Alcohol prices are relatively uniform across the province. Approximately 20% of all liquor stores in the province owned and operated by the government.

"With a workforce of approximately 3,500 full and part-time employees, the LDB operates over 200 government liquor stores throughout the province; two distribution centres, one in Vancouver and one in Kamloops; and a head office facility in Vancouver. In order to provide beverage alcohol products and service throughout the province, the LDB issues appointments and enters into contracts that authorize terms and conditions with the private sector for the operation of private retail outlets, such as licensee retail stores, rural agency stores, B.C. beverage alcohol manufacturer stores, independent wine stores and duty-free stores."
(http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/about)

Government controlled liquor. I guess it's a good racket to be in.


Cable TV - Drug ads
One of the weird things about television here is the number of drug ads that they screen. It's beyond bizarre. They have drugs for everything - weight loss, muscle gain, headaches, sexual performance, the list goes on. But even stranger are the disclaimers that accompany each ad, complete with voice-over. Where back in Oz you'd get a simple "If pain persists please see a doctor", here it's more like "...may cause dizziness, drowsiness, migraines, vomiting, hair loss and in some cases death". Yup, use only as directed by a medical practitioner indeed. (Picture: Josh and Amie - couch invaders. A more toned down public display of affection)

Heck, even Red Bull advertisements come with a disclaimer where they state: "Red Bull doesn't actually give you wings. It only increases ". Do they think their viewers are completely brain dead? Actually, don't answer that question. After some of the customers I've had this season the disclaimer may well be warranted.