Life on the OUTSIDE

August 15, 2005
On my way to WORK this morning IKE THE BIKE
(pictured here in happier times) started making some funny noises. Turns out the gear box is pooched. A new one costs about $1200.
On any other Monday this would have been enough to constitute a crappy day. Maybe even a crappy week.
But today was already predestined to be crappy, wasn't it? Day 1 of the lockout.
Rumour has it there are two security people in town...hired by CBC out of Vancouver or Winnipeg or something.
They're supposed to be keeping an eye on us.
Maybe they think we're going to graffiti obscenities on the door in Inuktitut?
Last night I dreamed our area manager came from out of town to change the locks on the CBC building here. Anyone who knows this person knows he looks like Santa. Many of us who work with him feel like he IS Santa sometimes! In my dream he did something he'd never do in real life. He walked past me...without even looking at me.
I woke up crying.

So now I guess I'm involuntarily following the advice of many of my friends: I've now got a life outside the CBC. I don't think they meant it quite this literally. And who'da thought it would involve carrying a picket sign.

As we wandered about, with our picket signs dangling from our necks (swatting mosquitoes too...) an elder came by and asked if we were pan-handling. All I could think was "Not yet." Fortunately my colleagues gave her a more enlightening answer.