Having a "Phase"

When people tell me I'm sick, I despise that term, when it's applied to me. I call it a Phase, because that implise it's temporary. It WILL pass, i'll get better in a few days. the key is be optimistic, if someone is optimistic, you'll end up kicking it out of your system.

What it takes to be a Canucks fan

Why I'm the ultimate Canucks fan is....I count the days from the end of the season to the next. I never lose faith, no matter what. I know all the stats and players from 2003-present day. If you asked me who my favorite player of all time is, I'd say Trevor Linden; no one else even comes remotely close. I shape my life around the schedule. When I die, I'll be buried in a Canucks jersey.

So when someone asks me what it takes to be a fan, and were not talking band wagon fans; I'm talking the real fans. It's.....heart and extreme optimism. The band wagon fans....not real fans if you ask me. Yeah I know we've never won a cup, the Detroits can go ahead and rub it in our faces. It'll make it that much sweeter when the cup comes to Vancouver.

GO CANUCKS GO!!!!

Canucks Game - November 2010

Working at Highland Pacific golf

     Prior to my start at Highland Pacific golf coarse, I didn't have a lot of work experience. But that didn't slow me down, I treated the situation like it was no different then my first job at Pacific Institute of Sport Excellence (PISE). Where I worked as storage room supervisor.

     In 2009, I started coming to Highland Pacific . I loved it so much, it became my dream job. I started thinking "I have to work there", pretty soon after, it turned into reality. I was on top of the world with excitement!
     My job original required me to sort through the recycling with Aaron, a employee. It's a stinky job, but a good kick start. I wasn't going to complain, if I did, I would fail my ambitions of working at a golf coarse.
     When I started my work was on the driving range picking up golf balls, fixing divots, cleaning out the basement even though my efforts were futile. I had to work in the basement from March to October I'm glad I did to, if I didn't I would have got laid off!

     The up and coming projects include taking on the blog with Matt, one of the associates golf professionals. The other guy being Rob. And organizing a lot of photos of the courses inception to present day.

     A couple of the things I like about working here are; the incredible staff, no matter who is in and wonderful friends I've made.

Why Trevor Linden is my favourite player

      Born in April of 1970, in Medicine Hat, Alberta Trevor Linden first hit the ice when he was 15. In his prime Linden stood at 6' 4" and weighed in at 210 lbs. Linden was a young kid, with aspirations of playing in the NHL.

      He started his professional career in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers; playing for three seasons racking up 148 points. As a junior, Linden played 5 games in his first season, 72 in the second and 67 games in his third and final season. In his second season playing for tigers he got 14 goals and 22 assists. Following that season he concluded his junior career with 46 goals and 64 assists.

      Drafted 2nd overall in the 1st round of the 1988 NHL entry draft, Trevor Linden quickly became a fan favourite in the city of Vancouver. As a member of the Canucks he progressed as a player and a leader and at the young age of 20, he was made captain of the Canucks in just his third NHL season. In '94 Linden led the Canucks to the glories of the Stanley Cup finals. They lost in 7 games to the dreaded New York Rangers just 1 goal short of winning the Stanley Cup.

      The King Clancy Memorial Trophy is an honourable prize rewarded to an individual who displays leadership traits on and off the ice. Trevor Linden was elected to receive this prestigious award in the 96-97 season.

      On June 11, 2008, after an outstanding 19 season career, Linden announced his retirement from his beloved game of hockey. On December 17, 2008 the number 16 was retired to the rafters in honour of Linden's fabulous career.
     
     Trevor Linden is many things to many people. To most he's an icon, but to a select few he's much more than that. In 2003, Brian Burke, the former General Manager of the Canucks, said “he [Linden] never looked right in another uniform.”
 

Maui Adventures

       When I was told that there was a possibility of my family going to Maui, I didn't really expect it to happen. I didn't want to get my hopes up, then be disappointed if it didn't happen. I kept hearing talk about it, and at that point I knew it could happen. But I still wasn't going to excite myself. However I wasn't going to dismiss it.

        A few weeks later I knew for sure we were going. And then I let the excitement take over. I started to really think about it; I couldn't sleep. We were going a month after that, I thought the next month would go slow; but it seemed to go by faster then before. Maybe because we kept busy.

        The day had arrived, the next step was a six hour long flight direct to Maui. This being my second international flight, I wasn't nervous. But I was concerned upon how I would occupy my time; try to sleep, or watch movies, I elected to watch movies. The in flight movies were “Couples Retreat” and “Forrest Gump”. So I was happy.

        When we landed we were all very tired and hungry. We thought a trip to Costco was in order and that's what we did. When we were driving on the Island I was amazed by the stunning beauty of it. We finely found it after about half a hour. Once we found the store we did a hast shop, and went to the complex we were staying at.

        My brothers, Jeff and Rob, along with Jeff's girlfriend Nikki and I planed to go to the “Old Lahaina Luau”. I was very excited about this. The food at the luau was amazing. There was a whole pig on burred under the sand, I don't know why, maybe to enrich the flavor.

        To sum up the whole two weeks we an amazing. There is no way we wouldn't go back. It was the best family trip we've ever been on.

Me and my Vancouver Canucks

     For as long as I can remember I’ve been a Canucks fan. Throughout the good and the bad. For it isn’t memorabilia that makes a true fan, it’s the heart. I can remember as a grad present, one of my aids, in high school wrote to the Canucks organization; trying to get me tickets to a game. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to, so instead I got; a letter from the team; and other cool stuff.

 

     I’m a fan because even if there the worst team in the league, I remain optimistic. I’m confident that they’ll win the Stanley Cup, eventually. It’s only a matter of time. Plus they have Roberto Luongo for another eleven seasons, after this one’s over. So if someone does the math, they’ll see that the odds are in our favor.

     Trevor Linden is my favorite player because of not only the things he did on the ice, but because of his charity work off the ice. In his career he had played in 1382 games, had 375 goals, 867 points, 2 memorial cup and in 1994, he led the Canucks to the Stanley Cup finals, all of this while wearing number 16. It’s quite remarkable what this guy has accomplished in his career.

     The last time I went to a game was the best one I’ve ever been to, because not only they won; but because we were V.I.P’s. My two brothers and I were treated like roylty. When my team wins the Stanley Cup, I’ll be on top of the world.

Working at Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence

     Before I started working at Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence, I was a twenty year old guy. Fresh out of high-school, I was eager to get into the working world. One problem, I had never worked a day in my life, apart from volunteering. Then I met Tara, who coordinates the Supported Employment Project at CanAssist. She was committed to supporting me in finding a job. She was committed to finding me work. At this time, I was up for anything.

     About a week later, I had an appointment with Tara at my house; she told me she had an interview setup for me. Throughout the next few weeks, leading up to my PISE debut; I was nervous but excited. I couldn’t believe this girl got me this job; all I had to do was go to meet with Andrea, the boss at PISE.

     The day had finally arrived; I was officially going to get a job. The next step was getting out there to the Camosun College Inter-urban campus. That’s when Tara suggested we take the bus. This was all new to me, but Tara pushed me to do it. I was hesitant at first, but after a few weeks into it; my confidence was back on track. It wasn’t long after that, that I started going everywhere on the bus. I always get the best feeling of acceptance every time I go into work at PISE; sometimes I can’t believe it’s my first job.

     There’s no doubt everyone at PISE is really cool, I think I’ve made some genuine friends there. There’s always someone there to help me, if I need any. The storage rooms are always a mess, so there’s always a lot for me to do. In the beginning of the summer they had wheelchair basketball in the gym; so there was Sean, Jimmy, and I getting the marks from the wheelchairs off the gym floor. Since I’ve been an employee at PISE, I’ve gained a lot of independence. I get a feeling of great satisfaction every week after my shift is up.

     Every Thursday morning I wake up anticipating my shift at PISE. Because I know I’ll be working that day. I regularly work in the storage rooms, because, no matter how much I clean it the week before, it seem to always find a way to get messy again. I’ve made a lot of great friends at PISE, there’s this one in particular guy, Sean, and he was one of the guys who helped me clean the gym floor.

     Tara is a great asset to have as a job coach, and on a more personal level; a friend. I’m very thankful to CanAssist for giving me this opportunity. I know it doesn’t sound cool, but if you keep a positive attitude, good things will happen.