Oliver

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Mother Nature Fights Back!

Highway 97 between Summerland and Kelowna is closed indefinitely because of a threat of a landslide. This is an area that has been dynamited extensively in the last few months as the government is trying to widen the road. *rolls eyes*

For someone in Osoyoos or Oliver, the detour isn’t monstrous. You have to take roads 33 and 3, the road I took when I came back from Kelowna last week. That road takes about 2.5 hours vs. the 1.5 on the 97. Those in Penticton, though, must be peeved: their detour is about TWO hours long!

I can’t even begin to imagine the impact on the economy if this had happened at the height of the tourist season.

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The Three Rs

Reading

I’ve been spending the bulk of my ‘on duty’ hours in the evenings sitting in the front room. This is so I can see who comes in after hours and greet them without their having to come knock on my door. The other after hours host is right in the entrance, so she can be anywhere in her RV and see who has arrived. I’m worried that I’ll be asked to move Miranda since one day new arrivals had to knock at my door (I got caught in the bathroom, but what proof of that do I have?!). So, anyway, there isn’t much to do in the front room other than reading. I’ve therefore been going through books at a speed I haven’t since high school. The day before yesterday, the other after hours host caught me raiding the bookshelf in the laundry room and informed me that the Oliver library gives cards to RVers wintering in the area! I went there yesterday and had no problem getting my card! They have a decent collection for such a small library, including a teeny French section that held the most recent book by my favourite author, Arlette Cousture! I came out with a pile (okay, seven) books; some novels and some non-fiction, including a pictorial history of Cary Grant. WOOHOO!

Writing

Sunday morning, I have to write up my first newsletter as Guests Activities Coordinator. This is the part of my job description I’m lukewarm about. I’m not convinced that a twenty-something year old is the right person to figure out things for retirees to do. Hopefully, I’ll find enough inspiration in previous years’ activities folders to satisfy the requirements of the position.

Arithmetic

I was at Walmart this morning looking for two more heaters: a teeny, inexpensive one for the toilet room and a larger oil-filled one for the main room (recommendation from the other after hours host who has been here for a year). Croft brilliantly suggested that I plug one of my heaters into the 15A receptacle on the my pedestal, so I just had to make sure that the oil filled heater wasn’t going to be more than 15A. A lot of heaters I’ve looked at had the wattage printed right on the box, but not this one. So, I had to completely unpack it to get to the manual at the bottom of the box (who packs these things?!). I got some strange looks from other customers, but no one from Walmart bugged me. The heater wound up having a wattage of 600 to 1500, or 5 to 12.5A. So, it would be fine on the 15A circuit. Now, the second heater. My current heater uses 12.5A. My iMac uses 1A. That leaves me 17A. The little heater I bought has a wattage of 900 to 1500, or 7.5 to 12.5A. Obviously, I’ll need to leave that one on the minimum setting, but that still leaves me with 9A for operating anything else; enough, but not so much that I’ll be able to turn on ‘anything else’ without thinking about it (note to self, unplug a heater before running the vacuum cleaner or printer!!). As I was figuring all of this out at Walmart, I kept flashing to the scene in ‘Apollo 13’ where the Gary Sinise character is trying to figure out how to reduce power consumption on the crippled ship. I finally understand what that scene is all about now. 🙂

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It Doesn’t Rain But It Pours!

Geeze! I had no sooner finished signing the hiring papers for a job when my cell phone rang. I ignored it, of course, and checked my messages a few minutes later. It was another job offer!

I really had to think things over because it wasn’t obvious at first glance which job I should take.

Job no. 1:

  • A position at a tree nursery;
  • 7 to 3:30 Monday to Friday (OUCH. I’m already up at 6:30 because of the gates, but I can’t go to bed before 11 because of the gates.);
  • Repetitive physical labour;
  • Better than minimum wage, but unionized, so I’d have to work a day and a half just to pay the sign up fees for the union, plus 35 bucks per month;
  • Eight week contract.
  • Job no. 2:
  • A retail position;
  • 8:30 to 4:30 Monday to Friday (still OUCH because there would be no sense going back to bed at 6:30 if I have to get up an hour later!);
  • Repetitive work (cashier);
  • Minimum wage;
  • Work guaranteed till spring.The ‘old’ me would have went back to Job no. 1 and said ‘Sorry, something else came up’ and gone for Job no. 2. The ‘new’ me is trying to get away from work that is in line with her university degree and any work that is not relevant to her studies, and back towards work that is is in line with her college diploma. Working at a nursery plus at an RV park? Completely, 100% in line with my diploma.So, I’m going to try the nursery job. I did tell the retail shop that I would appreciate their holding my resumé since I’ll be back in this same position in eight weeks.

    I start Monday.

    Oh, and both positions are equi-distance from home. The retail job is 1km north and the nursery job is 1km south. So, neither would have required driving.

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Stuck

Well, I installed my heat tape today and it would be a pain to remove the water hose now, so it looks like I’m settled in for the winter. :-S

First step to installing the heat tape was to cut The Hose From Hell down to a six foot length. I didn’t mind doing that since it’s thus far been a) too long and b) leaky. I was just about to cut the hose when my neighbour startled me:

Neighbour: How are you going to attach that hose if you cut it?!

Me (holding up a threaded hose connector): With this.

Neighbour: But your hose is going to leak…

Me (holding up hose tighteners): Nope, I’ve got these.

Neighbour: Oh… How’re you doing for tools?

Me (holding up sizable tool chest): Not a problem.

Neighbour: Oh. Um, your foam tubing looks like it might be too short.

Me: Yeah, I need to go pick up some more.

Neighbour: Just a sec! *rummages through basement and emerges with a length of foam tubing* Would this be enough?

Me: Perfect! Thank you so much!

LOL!!! I’m so glad I found a way for him to help me!

We had a gorgeous day here today, hot enough for me to putter around the rig in just a tee-shirt. But ‘they’ are announcing a below zero night, so I figured it was time to get the heat tape in, even though I’ve already weathered such nights without it in. The foam is installed in my overhead hatches, so all that’s left are the windows and door weather stripping and plastic.

Today, I learned how to read our electric metres. I was advised that my electricity would be paid so long as it is comparable to the average consumption and thus far it is (and is at the lower end). This is very good news! I just hope that adding a second heater won’t change those numbers too much. Then again, I won’t be the only person heating more, so it shouldn’t.

Job hunting continues to suck. I went to the employment office today and got some leads, one of which I’m really excited about. Hopefully, something will come of that one.

I’ve been asked why I don’t just move to Victoria or Vancouver, even Kelowna, where I could get a really good paying job that would pay the rent and the bills. There are lots of reasons I’d rather not do that:

1) The work I’m doing to cover my rent here doesn’t really qualify as ‘work’ in my book. Plus, I can do most of it from home. I’m at work right now, finishing dinner, and keeping an ear out for the office phone (which I bring home with me) and the front gate for late arrivals;

2) The weather is a big factor in wanting to stay put. I’ve endured a lot of winters in a bad climate with inadequate housing. I’ve earned a reprieve;

3) I want this camp hosting experience. Now that I have it (and can keep up my good work to earn a good recommendation), I’ll be able to start sending out resumés to the Yukon in anticipation of the summer season. I’ll have a much better chance of finding something before I arrive than if I had no camp hosting experience at all.

I’m not desperate for work yet, but will be revising my situation in four weeks.