Getting jobs in BC is hard

HARD! All sorts of people have encountered obstacles in finding good jobs in BC. So what's with the supposed 'hot' job market right now? Maybe it's hot for low level labour positions. Maybe it's a wrong conclusion derived from misleading low unemployment statistics. Regardless, people of different ages, personalities, races and abilities in different locations in BC have had difficulties in landing good jobs.

If you've got a decent paying job with a kind employer, give thanks. I know I do.

Oh, and I really really liked this article by Ed Willes in the Province on the NHL. I was pretty sad to see the homogeneity that's been instituted amongst the websites of the NHL team websites. No more creative individuality, just standards and restrictions and NHL control.

Canucks new jerseys

IMG_2540
Originally uploaded by Beth77.

Well, here are the new jerseys! From left to right: Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, Markus Naslund, Kevin Bieksa & Trevor Linden.

I don't particularly care for the look of the new jerseys but just knowing that everyone's back in town and practicing has put the excitement of a brand new season in me!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, I can't wait until hockey starts up again!!!

Sedin, Gagne, Forsberg

Sedin, Gagne, Forsberg
Originally uploaded by timeisatraveller.

One person posted her pictures of the exhibition game that Peter Forsberg normally organizes. Peter Forsberg had his Icebreakers play against IFK Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland.

Markus Naslund, Henrik Sedin, Jarkko and Tuomo Ruutu were amongst those playing. NHL article here.

YAHOOO!!! Trevor Linden is re-signed!!!

What a nice surprise. Here're the details from Iain MacIntyre's article today..

Don Meehan, the agent for unsigned free-agent Trevor Linden, said the Canucks' all-time leading scorer will re-sign this afternoon.

The Vancouver Canucks are expected to call a 2 p.m. press conference to make it official.

Linden's future has been an emotional-charged issue in Vancouver as the 37-year-old winger waited most of the summer to meet last week with coach Alain Vigneault to discuss whether he would return for a 19th National Hockey League season.

He is expected to sign a one-year contract for the league minimum $475,000 US, but with games-played and performance bonuses. Linden will be the final Canuck re-signed from last year's lineup and leave Vancouver with 20 players on one-way NHL contracts for this season.

We're big on Ohlund..

I'm just running out of the house but I needed to post this new article by Lucus Ackroyd on our Mattias Ohlund..

Aww.. what a good read!

Back to the Canucks..

So an article in the Province on Thursday let us know that Brendan Morrison and Matt Cooke are on the road to recovery from their sports hernia surgeries (May 2007). There was no mention of Mattias Ohlund, however, who went through the same surgery.

Cooke said that being in contact with Morrison and Mattias Ohlund -- another sports hernia surgery casualty of the offseason -- was helpful. Ohlund skated with the group on Monday.
"Mo and Mattias and I have shared stories for months," said Cooke, who is entering the final year of a $1.5-million-US contract. "It gives you a measuring stick of where you're at."

More on Danny Tidwell: This article delved a bit more into Danny's roots than anything else I've read.

Little Miss Sunshine won SYTYCD

Congrats to Sabra Johnson who had the majority of the 16 million votes to take home the title of America's favourite dancer. I was really pulling for Mr. Danny Tidwell so the disappointment hit a bit hard. A Virginian reporter was able to get some powerful words from Danny's mother, Denise Wall, in an article. A snippet:

The morning of the show’s finale, Wall firmly stated that despite the outcome of the competition, in her mind Danny had already won.

“I don’t even know if I’ll ever feel what I did when he finished dancing his solo on Wednesday night’s show,” Wall said, her voice breaking. “When he left the ballet world, he was losing his love of dance, and to me, watching that solo, he came full circle. He came back.”

Some other quotes:
TV Guide: "I know very well that I'm not the dancer that Danny is," says Sabra. "He's on a completely different level. For the last four years, I've known who he is, and I just wanted to talk to him. So standing there with him tonight (as the final two) was the craziest thing."

Danny Tidwell FTW for SYTYCD

Come ON! Damn, this boy can dance! I think he's probably the least injured out of all of the final four, which definitely improved his chances for last night's dance off.

Danny Solo Finals
Uploaded by mickeymcc

Danny Tidwell fans breathe a sigh of relief

Wow. So, last night's results show for SYTYCD was a surprise. Spoilers had Danny Tidwell and Lauren Gottlieb booted off but that was only half true. It was actually Pasha Kovalev who left. I felt bad for Lauren and for Pasha - Pasha especially because he lost out to Neil Haskell. It was that stupid plange that welded Neil in the minds and hearts of all the little female voters.

As Danny Tidwell is my favourite dancer, I was happy to find an article with a few of Danny's comments. Here's a snippet:

A few weeks ago, dancer Danny Tidwell talked about what it was like to keep landing in the bottom three week after week.

"It's really difficult in any situation to try and make somebody want you," Tidwell says. "So I just try to find the best way to do that for myself. I'm just trying to be myself as much as possible, and hopefully it will work out. I mean, it takes a toll on my emotions, but I try not to focus on that as much as possible."

Some say Lythgoe has been particularly hard on Tidwell, who has a brilliant career going in classical ballet. Those in the know feel he's one of the brightest talents on the ballet stage.

So why go reality show?

"I know what I can do in ballet," Tidwell says. "But I don't know what I can do in other areas and dance and I really wanted to explore that. And I wanted to be with other dancers from other disciplines to see what they could teach me."

Which sounds rather humble coming from the guy pegged as cocky and overly self-assured.

"Oh, that's just a role they like to play up for television," Tidwell says. "I'm confident in my talent, because you have to have that to succeed. But I'm willing to learn."

Faceb**k's source code out in the open.. by "server malfunction"

Haha! I wonder what the repercussions will be of this latest development in FB. Apparently Facebook's source code leaked out and got posted on a blog for everyone to read. Oooo... all that juicy and real information about people. Just waiting to get accessed by a quick hacker, cracker or corporation. FB's official response: known error in server. Here's the article. Here's also a blog post about HOW SCARY FB REALLY IS!!!

Ohlund news: An Ohlund sighting on Grouse puts Mattias back in Vancouver!

The Hockey Song!

Here's a snippet from the wiki on the origins of the Hockey Song:

The song first appeared on Connors' 1973 album, Stompin' Tom and the Hockey Song. However, the song did not reach its tremendous popularity until 1992. It was at this time, that the song was played at Ottawa Senators games. Pat Burns, then coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to have it played in Toronto. Fans took a liking to the song, and it spread throughout both Canadian and American NHL arenas. Today, it is a well known song, celebrating Canada's love for its national game, hockey.

How about some career advise?

The summer sure goes by slowly when there's no hockey.. and you have to work. Anyway, here's a Business Week slideshow to pass a few seconds of your life away on what to avoid during a job interview.

Oh, and a photo of Mattias Ohlund in a sumo suit. Sigh, the humiliation that can be captured with the art of photography. Sorry, Mattias, but I've run out of photos. When was this? Back when the Canucks had their carnivals.