Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain

Part 3 of 5 - "Dust Devils and Lunchtime"

I was fortunate enough to "sleep-in" until 7:00 AM on this glorious Wednesday morning. My dad woke me up and gave me a list of tasks to do for the day.

I began my day by crawling up into the bucket of the grain trucks and sweeping/shovelling out any leftover Nitrogen and Sulfur that we used for fertilizer the previous day. We would eventually load up the trucks with Phosphates for when we began to seed Canola later in the day.

The big trucks that I climbed in to sweep and empty. I usually drive the blue one!

Following the cleanup, we had to switch the shovels over on the cultivator. Seeding shovels are lighter than conventional shovels, and experience less resistance when in the soil. They are used specifically for seeding. I was given a hammer to hit the shovels off of the cultivator, and a screwdriver to clean the mud out of the grooves that the new shovels would soon occupy. It was a nice hot morning, but windy as hell. Behold the following Prairie equation: Strong winds + dry soil = DUSTSTORM. It was very dusty, and I had a runny nose and had just put sunscreen on. The dust formed a nice little dirt coating on every inch of exposed skin, and I couldn't help but feel like Pigpen (the kid that always has a dust cloud around him in the Charlie Brown comics/tv shows). I would take frequent breaks while knocking the shovels off to turn my face away from the oncoming dust devil.

Most of my friends are aware of  my distaste of chapsticks. It is my personal belief that even occasionally using chapsticks encourages dependency on the little tubes of moisturizing lip chap. I also never use lotion, for the same reason. A consequence of my opinion on the matter is dealing with moderately chapped lips from time to time. The strong wind took its toll on my lips, and I caved. I did in fact use chapstick for the first time in almost a year once I got back to Regina. Just in case you were wondering.

My father and his father, beside the air seeder that I frequently helped to fill.

After loading up the half-ton with canola seed again (which entails carrying about 15 bags of seed that weigh approximately 55 lbs each to the truck every load) I drove out to the field and helped my dad fill the air seeder before lunchtime. This brings us to our next segment..


"Farm Cuisine"

The legend of  the "Farm Cuisine" of Allen Faye dates back to suppers around the dinner table at my now deceased Nonna and Nonno's house (on my mothers side of the family). In an Italian household where food is regarded as a minor deity, stories of microwaved hot dogs, frozen food dinners and other processed instant food were the brunt of many jokes. I can't confirm the following, but I assume that Nonna cringed every time we mentioned our daily menu while working at the farm.

Typically, my mother will prepare a care package of tasty food to eat as leftovers (usually pasta, pork chops, casseroles, BBQ steak/burgers, etc) in Regina for us to take out when we go out. My mother is a very good cook, and the food is pretty damn good. However, the leftovers are usually demolished before long by our Prairie sky sized appetites and we switch to instant/frozen food as the main form of sustenance.

The fact of the matter is that eating food is not a prominent activity on the farm. It's almost viewed as more of a burden and a distraction from work than anything. The following is an average work-day sleep/meal schedule:

6:00-6:30: Wake up
6:30-7:00ish: Breakfast
Noon-1:00ish: Lunch
3:00-3:30ish: Break
9:30-10:30: Supper
11:00-Midnight: Sleep

Growing up, I would often head inside the house and eat food (normally snack food) out of sheer boredom. I remember one time when I was much younger that I found a very old package of Eno (an antacid that you mix into your drink to make it bubbly and relieve bloated stomachs) in the cupboards. I had the idea that if you were to mix it with fruit juice, it would make some sort of soda-like beverage. It really didn't pan out as planned.

On this particular day, I decided it would be fun to empty an entire package of Oreo Thinsation cookies into a package of banana pudding. There was no reason for this, other than relieving my boredom and increasing the efficiency with which I could consume calories. This creation was much more tasty than the Eno and fruit juice concoction.

-----

After I had finished eating my cookie/banana pudding I went out into the garden to water the recently seeded garden. Although our garden is now a fraction of what it once was, it still has raspberries, peas, carrots, lettuce, beets, onions, dill and potatoes. I remember the days when we also grew strawberries, triple the amount of raspberries, jalapenos, pumpkins, cucumbers, sunflowers and zucchinis.

Picking berries/peas and weeding the garden were tasks that usually fell to me as a child, and it was one of my least favourite jobs. I would weed and pick berries for hours as my dad was in the field, and he would come back to find that I had done a half-assed job and tell me to go do the job properly. This cycle would continue for multiple check-ups until I had properly done the job, and I hated every moment of it that didn't consist of eating the peas or raspberries.

My favourite back road where Saskatoon berries and wild hazelnuts grow

There used to be a patch of horseradish root growing wild across the road from the farm with which my grandparents would make THE BEST horseradish sauce. Saskatoon berry trees and wild Hazelnut shrubs that grow along a back road that my Grandfather will usually pick every season for pies, desserts, wines, etc. Fresh garden grown/wild fruits and veggies have always been a huge part of our family's eating habits.

Growing up, I resented gardens for all of the maintenance work they require. I've grown to enjoy the process over the past few years. It's very therapeutic, and quite rewarding to watch something that you plant and care for bloom/grow/produce delicious food to eat. I hope one day to have a garden of my own that I can tend to during the summer months.

I ended the day by finishing sweeping the quonset, moved some more seed bags and then started the tedious task of sorting bolts and tools in the shed. It was 9:30 by the time I stopped working and Dad came in from the field.

Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain

Part 2 of 5 - "The Gormley Feud and Grandpa Faye"

After a short, peaceful and quiet sleep in my bedroom (the only sounds to disturb a deep sleep in the country are the distant howls of coyotes) I was awakened by my father at 6:30 who alerted me that he needed me to help him load up fertilizer. Stumbling from my bed to my clothes to the air seeder outside I assisted him and he went out into the field to begin working. I went back into the farmhouse to eat a delicately prepared gourmet breakfast of Oatmeal Crisp and 1% milk as I read a few chapters of the book I was slowly fumbling through ("This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald) in an attempt to wake up. I had a list of tasks to complete around the yard, which I set out to complete.

I began the work day by sweeping and shovelling dirt out from the large steel Quonset. It tends to get very dirty as the mud that attaches to the machinery slowly falls off while in storage and dust that blows into the open doors collects. I hadn't discovered what the Yorkton frequency for CBC Radio 2 was at this point (I became frustrated with the poor reception from the Regina station) and I decided to turn on John Gormley as I worked.

For those of you that are not aware, Mr. Gormley and I have a long standing feud on Twitter. I started a half-joke/half-serious campaign for people on Twitter to #UnfollowGormley. I've explained the origin of this feud to a few of my friends, but I feel as if this is an ideal opportunity to explain how this came to be..

"The Gormley Feud"

As a young child helping my father around the yard, there would usually always be a radio on. Due to the poor FM reception in years past (technology has drastically improved reception in our area) and my fathers radio preferences, we often tuned into John Gormley Live as we worked. At the time, I hadn't developed the ability to form my own opinions on politics and current world issues. Naturally, I found myself agreeing with Mr Gormley on most matters because I wasn't very knowledgeable on the topics that he was discussing, and I was easily impressionable due to my young age. My thought process was as follows: "Hey this guys sounds like he knows what he is talking about, and he's an asshole to other people which is funny.. He must be right!"

Years passed, and although I rarely listened to Newstalk radio while in the city, we continued to tune in while working at the farm. Then, and even today there are opinions on various issues that Mr. Gormley takes that I agree with (there are also many that I do not agree with). Time went on, and I  became tired of the rude manner that Mr. Gormley operates his radio show in. Even so, I could usually turn a blind eye to the occasional outburst and tune in to hear some one-sided debates.

My arch-nemesis... Gormley (as Seinfeld would say "Newman")

The scenario that was the tipping point for me personally that prompted the ensuing #UnfollowGormley campaign was a particular segment where he began to tear apart many fine Canadian musicians and bands on their decision to boycott Enbridge's sponsorship of the Prairie Scene Festival in Ottawa last year. In his rant/segment, the following occurred:

1) He couldn't pronounce Winnipeg Punk legends "Propagandhi" correctly, instead referring to them as "Prop-a-Gand-DIE" for the ENTIRE SHOW. I'm pretty sure his producer actually corrected him a few times on air. I'm curious if Mr. Gormley also refers to "Mahatma Gand-DIE" in the same manner? Apparently having a Law Degree doesn't teach you how to use phonics, or the ability to Google the pronunciation of a popular band that you are going to be referencing multiple times on your radio segment.

2) Proceeded to tell his listeners that he is a fan of punk music himself. Uses Green Day and Sum 41 as examples of "punk music" that he enjoys. Gormley has some HEAVY punk taste! I think I saw him in the 'pit at that Puddle of Mudd "punk concert"! Sick bro.

3) He listed off a pile of good underground/independent bands and musicians (Molten Lava, Comeback Kid, etc) and insinuated that they are not good because "no one has heard of them". Fact check: Molten Lava shreds. There are many bands that are not household names that are top notch. Excellent (arguably better) music exists outside of the realms of Top 40 culture. Maybe if Mr. Gormley spent some of his Maytag money on culturing himself and checking out some of the AWESOME emerging local/independent music that the Prairies are producing he wouldn't spew such uninformed garbage.

4) This one made me the most angry. He spent some time making fun of Ila Wenaus' name (who is an excellent musician and played trumpet in the latest Foxwarren album which happens to be one of my favourite albums) and quips about how "that can't be a real name". I lost the most respect for him and his radio show. Resorting to making petty jokes on the basis of peoples names directed towards someone that probably mindlessly and casually signed a petition is pathetic and childish. Grow up.

I get it. It's about ratings. Being an asshole gets ratings and fans, and it can convince people that have limited knowledge on a particular issue to agree with you, as it did with me at a young age. I've learned through my debate experiences in JDC West (I was on a debate team this past year) that people who have no idea or opinions on a particular issue are more inclined to believe someone that acts like an asshole a) because it is entertaining, and b) because rudeness is often mistaken as confidence. It is important to remember, that being a jerk DOES NOT necessarily mean you are correct, or that your logic is sound. Some might be impressed by the manner in which Mr. Gormley operates his show, I am not one of those people.

Contrary to Mr Gormley's belief, I am not "A generous little Leftist" as he called me in a tweet once. My political views are much more complex, and will shift depending on political climate/government and other factors. However, calling his critics "radicals" seems to be the usual conclusion that Mr Gormley arrives at when someone disagrees with his opinions. He collects his ratings by berating/shutting down/cutting off people on his program, and being arrogant/annoying/rude. This, is why my #UnfollowGormley campaign must continue. It's also pretty entertaining to have Gormley and his followers waste their time trolling my Twitter account. Satisfaction will be mine Gormley!

There you have it. The legend of the Gormley Feud explained. #UnfollowGormley Now, back to farm talk.
 
.....

After getting about halfway through the very dusty job of sweeping the quonset and suffering through some Gormley, I was instructed to go and collect the clumps of nitrogen fertilizer that remained in the bins and break them into smaller pieces. After I had gathered all of the fertilizer, my Grandfather and I spent hours smashing up the clumps of fertilizer using hammers and a makeshift combine concave/wooden block/clamp contraption that effectively helped us smash the fertilizer.

Our fertilizer crushing contraption.

"Edward Faye - Farmer Extraordinaire"

My Grandfather (AKA: Eddie Faye) is a tough old man. At 88 years of age, it's both sad on my end and impressive for him that he can still has the drive and the strength to work circles around me.  My Grandfather is a smart and resourceful man with a keen sense of "Farmer Vision". We had a good conversation one morning a couple of months ago while drinking whiskey at my Grandparents house in Kelliher.

He started to talk about when he was the Reeve of the Municipality and Mayor of Kelliher, SK in the 1980's. He told me stories about sitting as a board member of various committees/credit unions/co-operatives, having the local MLA offer him a job working for him at the Legislative Building in Regina (which he turned down) and how he inherited a Rural Municipality in financial ruin and turned it into a wealthy organization with money in the bank when he left office. He explained that they saved money by local farmers completing large infrastructure projects themselves. It dawned on me that this man had accomplished extraordinary things over his lifetime, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride sweep over me as he talked.

My Grandfather is a man that gets straight to the point. One fun fact, is that he NEVER says goodbye on the telephone. There have been many times when I have stayed on the line either still talking or waiting for his response for minutes after he had hung up. I've often contemplated his reasoning for this peculiar habit, and I have come to the conclusion that it is a measure of increasing efficiency for himself (conserved energy, less time wasted on goodbye, more time and energy for other things). I also know for a fact that I have inherited his stubborn disposition. I am a very stubborn man, as is he. 

My Grandpa is a smart dude.

In Saskatchewan, there is a type of "can-do" attitude and resourcefulness that my Grandfather and many other resilient residents exude. It has played a huge role in the history and development of our Province. If it's broken, you fix it. If you don't know how to do something, you learn how (he takes every available opportunity to encourage me to take an electrical wiring course, because you "never know when you're going to need to wire something"). You work until it is dark or until the tasks are complete, and you find creative new ways to make them easier. Fun and rest follows only after the work is done. Perseverance, resourcefulness, and innovation: these are the values that this Province was built upon.

I can tell you that already learned a great deal from this man, and I know that there is much more that I can observe in the future.

-----

After filling the fertilizer bags with the freshly smashed fertilizer and sweeping out the farmhouse it was time to eat supper at around 9PM and hit the hay. The next day would surely be another day of hard physical labour.

Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain

A few weeks ago, I went out to my family farm to help my father seed his crop. Growing up, I spent many of my childhood summers in the dry Prairie heat helping my father and grandfather do the gross/dusty work that they didn't want to do, to the disappointment of my teenage self.

As a young boy, there were obvious benefits of spending time in the middle of nowhere. Shooting at gophers with a pellet gun, cruising around the farm yard on the mini bike, and hitting rounds of golf at the 9-hole Kelliher Municipal Golf Course (the best dirt greens in East-Central Saskatchewan!) were all activities I enjoyed. However, I resented much of my time that was spent there. Being a self proclaimed "City-kid", the farm was symbolic of missed sleepovers, birthday parties and good summer hang-outs with my friends in Regina. In my memory, it represents summer afternoons spent in stuffy granaries sweeping out moldy canola, weeding the garden in 30 degree heat, and fighting the clutches of boredom while sorting bolts in the garage.

This will be the last year that my family will farm the land that my great grandfather, grandfather, and father have sowed. It is the end of an era. My father is retiring from farming after this harvest, and I approached this outing with a different mindset. Seeing as many of the people in my life are not aware of what I actually do when I'm out there, I figured that I could probably churn out a few blogs and give readers a better sense of life on the farm. I brought a camera and snapped some pictures as well! Without further ado, I present....  

Five Days as a Farmhand: Thoughts and Stories from a City-Kid on the Dusty Plain

Part 1 of 5 - "The Arrival and the Farmyard"

I left Regina in my 1996 Geo Prizm on Highway number 10 at around 10:30 AM with an iced coffee to sip on. The sun was out, and the peaks of Qu'Appelle Valley looked as inviting as usual as I rolled through Fort Qu'Appelle. As a child, this was always the most exciting part of the drive to our family farm. Seeing the waves on Mission Lake and always hoping that my dad would pull over at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard would usually be ample excitement for a good portion of the commute. I imagine that the many trips through the valley on the way to the farm helped foster the deep appreciation of the valley that I have today.

Turning onto highway 35 in the Fort, I drank my coffee and listened to albums by Zach Lucky and Andy Shauf (Both are excellent Saskatchewan musicians whose albums are worth purchasing) as I passed by Lipton and Leross and eventually turned off towards the Faye farm right before the Hamlet of Bankend, Saskatchewan. I pulled into the farm yard around noon, unloaded the food my mom had prepared for us to eat throughout the week and changed into my dusty farm clothes. It was time to work.

When I arrived, Grandpa was in the yard tinkering with a piece of machinery. After helping him tighten some bolts on the harrows we went and filled up the big truck with fertilizer. My father was in the field fertilizing, and after driving the big GMC truck into the field and was told that I could start cutting the grass at the farmyard.

"Mulch much?"

The riding lawnmower. The object of my childhood fascination. I remember enviously watching my father closely for many years lap the farmyard, obliterating mole hills and mulching overgrown patches of crabgrass. I counted down the days until I would be able to inherit the task. Even today, this is one of the jobs that I enjoy doing, and I always looked forward to cruising around for a few hours.

My friend, the riding lawnmower (sans: gasoline in tank)

There is A LOT of grass to cut in our yard. It takes about 3-4 hours to cut everything properly. Most of the terrain is just open expanses of grass, however there is a troublesome grove of elms behind the farmhouse planted many years ago that are tricky to maneuver without a branch taking off your hat or getting a twig in the eye (thus, why I wear sunglasses when I mow the backyard). This year in particular was even more tricky, as the winter winds had snapped huge portions of the trees and we haven't had time to clean up the loose branches.

I've done my fair share of deep thinking on many a sunny day while on the mower. As the sun set behind the barren but soon to be lush fields, this evening on the mower was no different. The topic of this evenings deep thoughts were on the future of the farmhouse and yard..


"The Farmyard"

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved the two story red and green crumbling house on a hill. It was always a safe haven from the Prairie storms, and provided the location for the few breaks from work that we would have (sleep, lunch, drinks and supper). It is also a time capsule for the Faye family. Family artifacts such as old clothes, vintage kitchen appliances, Polaroids of graduations/celebrations fill the stale second floor of the house. It is comforting to wander the silent halls of the upstairs every once in a while, where time seems to stand still.

A view of the farmyard from the road.

After marriage, my mother and father lived in the house for about 5 years. My father farmed, while my mother worked at the Credit Union in nearby Foam Lake. It's kind of cool to hear stories from that era and see stuff from their lives still around the house, and wonder what life would be like living out in Rural Saskatchewan year round.

As I mowed the lawn that evening I spent much of my time thinking about how peaceful of a destination the farm would be if the constraints of hard work weren't around. I thought about how I've wanted to record an album there for quite some time, and how easy it would be to write songs or relax in such a tranquil and isolated place. My father has indicated that we are going to hold on to the farmhouse, the shed and some land in the main yard. I daydreamed about potential bonfires in the back, or else either maybe fixing up the house, or building a small cabin one day as a summer escape. Maybe one day...

-----

My daydreaming was quickly interrupted by the sound of a lawnmower that had run out of gas as I was finishing up the last leg of the backyard (great planning on my part). I refilled and quickly finished up the last remaining patches of grass that were to be cut. The sun was down at this point, so I headed into the house to do the dishes that had piled up and clean the kitchen before my dad got in from the field at around 9 PM. We had a quick supper, and I was off to bed as he watched the late night news in the other room.

Living, Functioning and "Dealing With" Depression/Anxiety

In recent years, we've seen a shift towards respecting, understanding and embracing the stigma of mental illnesses. As someone who has firsthand experience of this, I wanted to share my insight, knowledge and experiences with you guys about what I have learned over the last few years.

My story begins in the Spring of 2009. I was hating the major that I had already sunk 3 semesters of University into (Engineering), living in a different city than the majority of my friends and family (Saskatoon) and experiencing stupid (but very significant at the time) "girl troubles". I had made the decision that I would drop out of Engineering, I had no clue what direction I was going towards in life.

It was a stressful few months. I began experiencing chest pains and tightness in my chest everyday. I would start my days feeling tired after sleeping too much, skip my classes often and feel joyless regardless of the days activities - whether it was school, hanging out with friends, or other fun activities that would usually excite me and make me happy.

I went to the doctor, where they had me fill out a questionnaire, and I was clinically diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder. She advised that she could prescribe me with Anti-Depressants, with which I responded with no (I was stubbornly against taking meds for something that I felt I should be able to control). I remember telling my parents and closest friends of my diagnosis, and while they comforted me and provided me with support, I couldn't help but feel as if they didn't really believe me, as if they felt I was just being over dramatic.

Following that terrible semester, I moved back to Regina and went to see my family doctor for a check up. There, I was prescribed anxiety medicine for anxiety attacks that I was experiencing. I remember sitting on my bed one in the midst of an anxiety attack, looking at the bottle of pills seriously considering taking one. I decided that there had to be a better way to deal with my issues. To date, I have never taken any depression or anxiety meds.

I began taking counselling with a super awesome dude by the name of John. I only had about 5 or 6 sessions, but they were enough for him to make me realize that anxiety and depression are mental disorders, that they can be controlled and used the analogy of an iceberg to explain the disease to me. He explained that there is much more to an iceberg than that part we can see (ie: the anxiety symptoms), that underneath the water, there are other pieces of the iceberg that support the small portion that we can see (ie: there are things that we didn't even know were affecting us that are contributing to our feelings of depression and anxiety). Most of all, it felt good to talk to someone that understood what I was going through.

It was the most sense anyone has ever made to me regarding the issues I was facing, and I spent a good portion of the next year discovering who I really was as a person, understanding when and how the feelings of anxiety/depression would surface, and how to train my body to analyze and deal with the issue. I still get anxiety attacks and go through periods of depression, but I'm aware of how to minimize the impact the disorders have on my life. The following are some of the most important things I have learned about living with mental illnesses:

Many people live with some form of depression/anxiety
It's weird because when I was dealing with my issues at first, I truly felt that I was the only one that could really understand what I was going through. This of course, was completely untrue. Regardless of how terrible you might feel living with this disease, it's important to note that a good percentage of the population has dealt/is dealing with the same thing. When you start talking with others about what you are experiencing, you realize that you are not alone. You realize that mental illness is not a stigma, that people are understanding and that you are not a "wimp" or weak for talking about your issues.

Explore your options when dealing with the mental illness
Obviously different levels of anxiety and depression will require different treatment methods. Now I'm not trying to say that you should never take medicine for anything, medication is definitely needed for many different scenarios. I'm just saying that it's important to think long and hard if medication is really the route that you want to take.

Many of the antidepressants have really nasty side effects, and are VERY difficult to stop taking. In addition, I have a real issue with the way our doctors prescribe these drugs. For example, I was looking for a new doctor about a year or so ago, and in a first consultation meeting I told the doctor that I had experienced depression years ago and continue to battle minor anxiety, but that I believed to have it under control, and that I didn't want to take medicine for it. He immediately launched into this huge fear-inducing spiel about how I would be 50% more likely to experience a heart attack without taking meds. I had issues with his diagnosis: 1) He had literally JUST MET ME. He knew nothing about me personally or medically, yet somehow he knew enough to try to prescribe me some heavy heavy meds? 2) I was aware of doctors over prescribing these pills, and that doctors are often "sponsored" of "gifted" by the pharmaceutical giants. Needless to say, I continued my search for a new physician, which led me to my current doctor who told me that I was likely fine without the meds.

Society has become dependent on medication to solve every problem, and it's not hard to see why. We view medicine as being able to solve everything quickly. It would make logical sense that this belief would transfer over to mental illness. However, mental illness is much more complex to deal with. It is a disorder of the mind. It's not as easy as taking some Penicillin and feeling better in a few days. Antidepressants are designed to moderate/numb our feelings/thoughts, which is a pretty crazy/frightening thing to think about. They are often not needed to deal with the disease, but society wants a quick fix so we can get back to living life/being happy. Realistically, it takes much more to deal with these issues. I found that learning and discovering all I could about myself, taking counselling and trying to train my body to recognize and moderate the effects of the disease worked for me. It's important for people dealing with the disease to figure out what works for them.

Learn to live with the disease
Mental Illnesses are diseases. As with any disease (cancer, MS, etc), you need to understand your limitations, and take time when needed to ensure your well being. This may include changing your lifestyle habits. For example, I cut back on my caffeine intake, scaling back the amount of energy drinks and coffees I consumed (too much caffeine+anxiety attacks=chaos). I also know when I need to take a sick day if I'm feeling particularly down or anxious. People might try to give you crap about this, but it's important to recognize when you need to take some time to deal with your issues and to block all the haters out yo. Making small concessions can go a long way in improving your lifestyle with mental illness.

Don't use your disease as a crutch
It's very important to stay positive and not to get consumed with the ongoing battle. It may seem really easy to mope around at home when you feel like crap (I'm often guilty of this), but it's important to be mindful that it is not your fault you feel this way, to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and really try to live life to the fullest. Don't let your disease keep you from experiencing things you love and creating new memories. Many people use their diagnosis as a crutch, and while it needs to be respected and understood it shouldn't be used as an excuse not to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.


The Bottom Line: To all that are experiencing mental illnesses, you are not alone. SO many people are in the same boat as you. Although there are many aspects of the disease that are not controllable, the way you approach dealing with your challenges is controllable, has a HUGE impact on your well being. Stay positive, and try to figure out what works for you. You will grow as a person, learn more than you ever would have imagined about yourself and you will be a stronger person in doing so.


Nick.

Nick Faye's Guide to Regina Transit

Happy April everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've had a chance to churn out a new blog. It's been a very eventful few months that included running for URSU President and spending a few days in LA.

This is an idea I've had for a few months now, but I've never really had time to write. Todays blog post is directed to any and all that may be interested in taking public transit in Regina as their main form of transportation. Regina Transit can be an unforgiving beast if not prepared. Follow my steps, and make the most out of your busriding experience!

Nick Faye's Guide to Regina Transit

1) Plan to get to the busstop 10 minutes before the bus is scheduled to be there.

In most cities, getting to your stop 5 minutes ahead of time is sufficient to successfully catch your bus. This was my mantra for the first few months of taking the bus in Regina. It took me a few missed classes and multiple stressful/frantic "holy crap I missed my bus" car races to work before I discovered that this was not enough time. One day, I was at my stop 7 minutes before it was scheduled to arrive and I still didn't get there early enough. This is when 10 minutes was set upon as the official time, and so far it's been pretty accurate.

Given a +/- 10 minute buffer (as busses are often up to 10 minutes late), you may find yourself with plenty free time while waiting for the bus. May I suggest bringing along a sudoku puzzle, or perhaps your crochet supplies? You could make a nice quilt in the time you will spend waiting!

2) Do NOT mess with the bus drivers' Subway/smoke breaks in front of the Library or Sherwood Village Mall.

If there is one sacred ritual that a Regina Transit rider must be careful to respect, it is this. Bus drivers love their smoke/subway breaks. So much so that they will completely uproot the set schedule that riders are depending on to plan their commutes to get to the Library or Subway a few minutes early.

Your bus is already 5 minutes late in getting there? Doesn't matter, the bus driver's craving an Italian BMT, you can wait a few minutes. Your bus just blew by 3 people waiting at a stop that they were supposed to pick up? Not important, Bob's waiting at the library to crush a menthol or two. This is an unwritten rule of Regina Transit.

3) ALWAYS People Watch. You could see some funny/interesting stuff.

This might be the biggest benefit of taking public transit. There are always interesting people doing interesting things going on around you on the bus. It is never a bad idea to have your head on a swivel and to be ready to observe these often comical situations.

For example, one time a dude got on the bus in North Central with a six pack of beer and a guitar. He opened up his guitar case, cracked a beer and started playing terrible versions of Led Zeppelin songs until his stop for myself and a few other people. Also, I've noticed a healthy amount of terrible neck tattoos (one in particular was THE WORST frog on a lily pad right below the womans ear... WHY?) that are always entertaining to stare at from a few seats back. Safe to say you will not see that from inside of an F150.

You may also encounter scary situations (such as the time a woman had a seizure onto another guy in the seat ahead of me), but you have to take the bad with the good. Most times, the bus is a pretty comical place to do some Grade-A people watching.

4) Get to know the Bus Driver, observe their tendancies.

I've made an effort in recent months to become familiar with the bus drivers and their schedules. Bus Drivers are usually pretty nice, and some of them are pretty funny.

Early one morning, I hopped on the bus tired and half asleep, ready for the commute. The bus was running until the bus driver (who happens to be my favourite on the staff thus far) turned off the bus and the lights. I was too tired to process what was going until I heard a gruff "Whoops, out of diesel guys" from the drivers seat. At this point I had just assumed that Regina Transit had dropped the ball again, and I began to stand up to trudge back to my snowy car. As soon as I got up I heard a "Just Kidding" from the front and the engine roar. It was very well played, and actually quite funny.

You may even begin developing nicknames for the bus drivers. I have coined one woman as "The Gum Chewer", as she is always obnoxiously chewing gum and drives way too aggressively (makes for rough/bumpy trips). Another man is now known as "Paul Giamatti", as he looks exactly like the actor and I could see the sad/weary bus driver as being a perfect role for Paul to actually play.

One thing to note here, AVOID NEW BUS DRIVERS IF POSSIBLE. Last Friday, I knew there would be trouble when my bus was 15 minutes late. When the bus finally pulled up, it was ridiculously far from the curb, and the end was protruding out into the middle lane and disrupting traffic on a bustling-rush hour Broad Street. Once on the bus and safely driving in the bus lane, the woman began to honk her horn. There was no traffic in front of us and she replied "I just don't want to hit them", referring to the vehicles that were safely driving in their lane to the left of us. Really? You can't drive in a straight line?.. The lesson here is try to avoid new bus drivers.

5) Always say "Hello" when you get on the bus, and "Thanks" when you get off the bus.

Manners are important. Bus Drivers appreciate the courtesy.

6) Use your commute time to relax/reflect on life, or nap if needed.

I love taking the bus because I view it as an escape from the busy world that we live in. I do not find moving from the office to your car during rush hour relaxing in the least bit. Personally, I get stressed out from watching other people driving and trying to maneauver in heavy traffic. By using transit, I can hang out, think about my day, read a book if I want and have a nap if I need sleep (Efficiency!! Kill two birds with one stone - sleep and transportation). I really value my time on the bus, and I've done some of my best thinking on it.

6) Tweet cool things that you see while riding the bus.

I always get value from reading other people's stories from the bus, and I hope my followers also enjoy my observations. It's an interesting place. May as well share your stories with the world!

Anyways, follow these steps and you should be able to find your way using the terrible yet loveable bus service that is Regina Transit!

Nick.

The case for more education on Aboriginal culture, history and issues in Saskatchewan

In December, a University of Regina student created a petition that would make Indigenous Studies a mandatory class at the UofR. Now as is to be expected with an issue as controversial as this, there have been heated debates on the UofR's facebook page, with students fiercely making their cases for both sides of the argument.

The issue that I and many others have with the petition, is that it's self-declared goal of this petition is to "curb systematic racism". While this is an admirable goal, and it could possibly be a positive byproduct of introducing mandatory Indigenous Studies, I do not believe that this should be the primary goal of this petition.

The ultimate goal should be to increase education on the First Nations in our Province in the elementary and secondary level, so that students enter the workforce and Post-Secondary institutions with a better knowledge of aboriginal culture, history and issues. This is a duty that must fall on our Provincial Government. This blog post is intended to illustrate the value of having either increased Indigenous education at those levels, or to at least subsidize this class and make it mandatory for students at Post-Secondary institutions across Saskatchewan until this can be accomplished. I've identified two main sources of value by doing this:

1) More education on the social problems and issues surrounding First Nations people in Saskatchewan will be beneficial in finding creative solutions.

It is no secret, that there are many social problems and health issues that plague the First Nations communities of our Province. First Nations people have a rate of diabetes three to five times higher than that of other Canadians. Saskatchewan has historically had one of the highest aboriginal diabetes rate in the country. Rampant diabetes stemming from poor dietary habits, a higher rate of AIDS than most demographics (15% of new HIV/AIDS infections occur in First Nations people) and Mental Health issues that stem from Residential School abuse are all examples of health issues that will only continue to grow and be passed down through the generations as the population continues to expand.

In addition to health problems, crime levels are significantly higher on reserves , and "In Saskatchewan, Aboriginal people made up 80% of those who were admitted to provincial sentenced custody, compared to their representation of 10% of the provincial adult population." That's pretty insane. The recent increase in housing prices and low vacancy rates in Canadian have greatly affected many First Nations people that live in the core areas of our cities. The living conditions on many reserves are similar to that of a third world nation.

As you can see there are significant social problems and issues that this demographic is faced with. These issues are already huge challenge to our Government's finances. Now, taking into account that this demographic is forecasted to grow at a very rapid rate in the years to come, we can see a very dark picture emerge. The problems that are currently affecting First Nations will continue to be passed down and magnified from generation to generation. The money to cover services such as health, jails and social services will balloon to budget crippling levels. I'll give you one guess as to where the finances will have to come from to cover these programs: the tax payers of Saskatchewan.

Our Province should be increasing the amount of education our citizens receive on these issues. Imagine a Province where the Engineers, Business Professionals, Trades Workers, etc were aware of the challenges and issues facing First Nations people today. Imagine a Province where the leaders of tomorrow were properly educated on these issues. I can almost guarantee you that they would be more likely to find innovative new solutions to these problems with this education than if they didn't receive it.

Critics of my point might suggest that "Well our Education programs are now making Indigenous Studies mandatory, that's good enough". This is definitely a good start to making this subject more prevalent in our children's education. However more needs to be done.

In Post-Secondary institutions, imagine the value of a mandatory "Aboriginal Health" class for Doctors, or some sort of a "Treaty Land Resource Extraction History" class for Petroleum Engineers. It doesn't need to be the same "Indigenous Studies" class offered across every faculty.

These are HUGE issues for the Province of Saskatchewan, and therefore the people that are living, working and being educated in Saskatchewan should have to learn about them. If these classes were subsidized by our government, I think many students would be willing to give up ONE free elective to take this class. It's a win-win-win situation - students get a class paid for by the Government, the Government gets the future leaders educated on aboriginal issues, future taxpayers (ie. us) save money due to creative new solutions and subsequently pay for the class. This should be a no-brainer.

2) More education on First Nations culture will allow employers in Saskatchewan to better connect with Aboriginals in the workplace and increase amount of Post-Secondary education among the demographic.

Over the past few years, there have been a swath of "we are going to need to tap into the First Nations workforce in order to deal with the upcoming labour shortage due to the boom" advertisements around Saskatchewan. Unfortunately, these ads have been a bunch of crap. We haven't done a good enough job of this as a Province.

If we look at the education statistics, there are significant discrepencies between the non-aboriginal and First Nations people in Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan, 72.4% of non aboriginal people 15 years and older at least graduated from high school (or the equivalent) as opposed to only 50.6% of First Nations people. Of the above numbers, 44.9% or non-aboriginals received post-secondary qualification as opposed to only 28.6% for First Nations citizens. How many of you were as shocked as I was to see the percentage of adequately educated aboriginal people in our Province is so low?

Those stats alone should be enough to show that we need to do a better job of connecting with the demographic in our Province, getting First Nations children out of high school and into Post-Secondary institutions and growing this labour force. Given the rapid growth rate of First Nations people in the Province, we have access to a growing source of people that could fill Saskatchewan's skilled labour/trades/administrative/etc needs, right here in the Province!

What better way to connect with the First Nations people than to have the future workforce and educators (future hiring managers, future policy makers, etc) aware of the history and culture associated with the arguably the most significant ethnicity in Saskatchewan! The way to do this is through education. Increasing the amount of Indigenous Studies in our elementary schools and secondary schools so a general understanding of the cultures are common knowledge for all citizens as they enter Post-Secondary or the workforce.

Until that happens, a series of Provincially funded mandatory University classes could be beneficial to educate the future leaders of our Province.

Connecting the dots...

I will admit, that I'm not particularly sure what the best way of educating our citizens on the cultures and history of one of the fastest growing and historically significant demographics in Saskatchewan. But I do know that if we want to be proactive in connecting with a huge source of prospective labour and dealing with the various social/health problems that First Nations communities are facing, the key is through education. We are only hurting ourselves in the future through our inactivity. Ideally, this education should come at a young age so that the culture, issues and history of these great people are well known among our citizens before they enter the workforce or enter post-secondary institutions.

I don't believe it would hurt to have classes in a Post-Secondary setting either, but hey these are all just random ideas floating around. It's not my job to develop curriculum. This is where the Provincial government needs to step up and make something happen.

The bottom line is that bringing this petition up at the University of Regina can only be viewed as a good thing, regardless of the original intended goal As a community and a student body, we should be discussing the different options to resolve the issues that are facing our people. Education on the Province's most important ethnicity should be a high priority. Our Province's future depends on it.

Nick.

It's Christmas time! (for everyone except the Creative City Centre)

Mayor Pat delivers a big ol' lump-o-coal to the Creative City Centre

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is getting in the Christmas spirit! I'm currently in "finals routine", and I've got a few new blog ideas kicking around to punch out when I get bored of studying (as in, stay tuned for more posts in the next few weeks). Today, I want to talk about how the Regina City Council is choosing to withholding much needed funding from the Creative City Centre.

So the Prairie Dog posted a blog yesterday about Regina City Council's decision to withhold funding from the Creative City Centre. Although I don't usually read the PD's articles on Provincial and Federal matters due to their obvious left-wing partisan opinions that tend to rear their ugly head, the bi-weekly does a good job of covering arts and culture in our city.

To summarize the scenario, the Regina Arts Advisory Committee receives $800,000 annually to dish out to organizations in the city. Right off the bat, two-thirds of that funding goes to the Mackenzie Art Gallery, the Globe Theatre and the Regina Symphony Orchestra, which are all deserving organizations. The CCC was looking for $30,000 to cover admin expenses and supplement staff for the renovation work that was done to renovate the formerly dilapidated and empty space above Loggies shoes downtown. Even after viewing the Centre's complete business plan, the Committee decided not to award them their funding and dispersed a good portion of the remaining funds left to the Mackenzie and Globe. Feel free to read the PD's blog for a more detailed explanation.

Being both a musician and a business student, perhaps I can provide some unique perspectives and insight on this issue.

As a musician, the experience and services that the Centre provides are a rarity in the Canadian arts scene. Having played approximately 100 shows over the past two years in various bars/art galleries/restaurants/houses/you name it across Canada, I can honestly say that the musical experience offered by the CCC is probably one of the best anywhere. This facility is the envy of other cities, and consistently packs the house for broke/weary/talented traveling musicians with a built in crowd and a warm, cozy atmosphere to perform in.

The owner of the CCC is Marian Donnelly, who has an MBA in Arts Administration. Seeing as the facility has experienced excellent attendance in its first few months, the potential for the Centre to profit definitely exists. However, for musical performances the CCC only takes 25% of door sales, and leaves the remaining 75% for touring musicians. Marian believes in rewarding Canadian artists for their hard work, and this is a refreshing change from many other venue owners that I have had the misfortune of working with that take a huge cut of the revenue earned by musicians for their own profit. The CCC is rapidly becoming a premiere arts destination for both Canadian musicians and the citizens of Regina, and is directly incubating our diverse/growing arts scene. City Council doesn't believe this is worth funding?

Approaching this from a business standpoint, I yield the same opinion. We all know that City Council has been attempting to push major condo developments (such as Capital Pointe) as viable and exciting options for our citizens. However, in order to to sell these $200,000-$1,000,000 housing units, you need to create an exciting downtown core with a wider variety of food/entertainment options. Being close to your workplace isn't going to be a strong enough incentive for people to consider these new developments in a city where people can drive anywhere in under 20 minutes. The state of Regina's downtown is far from being attractive to young couple that have experienced downtown living in other Canadian cities, and it has been one of the biggest criticisms from people visiting our city. The CCC is a top-rate facility, in a high density area, which can only raise the profile of our downtown core.

In addition, the Creative City Centre facilitates a fashion collective, art studios, and various workshops. Marian and other artistically renown workshop leaders work with interested artists to teach them creative skills such as songwriting and important entrepreneurial skills such as how to properly market products. This organization is helping to empower our artists with the tools they need to become successful entrepreneurs, which SHOULD coincide with the city's vision of promoting and fostering local entrepreneurs.

Denying this organization funding completely contradicts our Municipal vision. We are talking about good people that have poured their blood, sweat and tears into renovating a dilapidated, historic building in downtown Regina for the purpose of bringing people into an underutilized downtown core and promoting entrepreneurship.

Life will likely go on due to the hard work of volunteers without the help of the City. It would just be nice for our City Council to recognize the value of having a premiere institution such as the Creative City Centre in our downtown core. At the very least, I would be interested in hearing the Council's reason for denying them funding.

Nick.

PS - The Arts Advisory Committee is meeting Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Larry Schneider Board Room (City Hall). I'm gonna try and show up, and I hope you guys do too!