I didn't get to start Ragnarok today, but I DID get to meet Fenris. Or one of Fenris' offspring. It was the weirdest thing, actually- we saw a wolf hanging out with a coyote. My theory is that the wolf is an orphan or somehow kicked out of its pack, and hooked up with the coyote. The wolf is twice the size of the coyote, and still not full-grown. I got some really good pictures (it wasn't a shy wolfy by any means) but my USB cable is at home so I will have to post them later

This is why I need a digital SLR:

My trusty little Fujifilm 3 megapixel just isn't the best camera to have when you come across a wolf chowing down on a deer. Or a grizz. Though to be fair I doubt I would bring a $1200 camera to the coal mine with me. Here's some video of haul trucks I took last night with same. Note the snow. In June.

The Edmonton Art Gallery (or Art Gallery of Alberta as it's now called) is doing a cool thing- before they close down for major renovations they opened their exhibit halls up to the general public. By that I mean they let anyone who wanted drop off some artwork for display. Michelle and I went and browsed the art yesterday- there were some pretty impressive pieces on display. Actually overall the quality level was very high, which isn't really surprising given the high-level of arts participation in this city. I was expecting a bunch of stick figure drawings (like what Michelle wanted us to bring) but it was real art. You should check it out if you have a chance, it's free to enter until March 24th when they shut down.
I have no art of my own to display so instead I'll show you what my current desktop wallpaper is:
Lil-Red vs Wolf-Dog by Enrique O. Rivera

Yay for Jasper!
We had a pretty nice weekend in Jasper. The photo above is from our ill-fated expedition to find the sandstone hoodoos and tunnel-like notch through a cliff towards Pocahontas. It was ill-fated because we trudged through kilometers of hard, crusty snow looking for said landmarks, only to turn back in defeat and see them, plain as day, right near the start of the trail. So many things depend on angle and perspective. Oh well. Next time.
Our main focus was just relaxing and getting away for a while, and we accomplished that masterfully. There's a mammoth tusk on display in one of the storefronts so that was really all I needed to make me happy. Oh yeah and the black wolf we saw on the drive out. The bears, of course, are having a rest.

On deviantArt there's a meme going around where artists offer free sketches to anyone who wants one (up to ten, usually) so long as any takers offer the same . So I've taken up a few people on their offers, but rather than sketches I offer poems in return, since my sketches would be a terrible blight on the world. Here is the sketch Travis Hanson did for me, since I was in a mastodony mood last week:



And here is a poem I wrote at the request of Hermitchild, who also drew me a sketch that I will try to write a poem for as well, so I won't show it to you yet:

Little lemming, lemme in, lemme in
Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin
I'm not a big bad wolf and you're not a little pig
So just open up your door, quit being such a prig
No, I'm sorry, but I'm a little indisposed
which is why you can't come in and the door is staying closed
Listen, little lemming, just a second then I'll go
You're probably a salesman so my answer still is no
Little lemming, little lemming, please just let me in
No! Now my patience is starting to wear thin
You keep standing at my door, yammering and talking
I say go away and still you keep on knocking
Sorry little lemming, I know I am a boor
But I won't go away until you open up that door!
I know what you did, how you let those lemmings die
You led them off a cliff by claiming they could fly
Now little lemming, lemme in, lemme in
So I can serve you this subpoena so you can pay for your sin!

The two typefaces are to distinguish voice, which you probably figured out on your own. I wanted to make use of the obvious lemming stereotype while still doing something a little unique.

Wow- I slept for over 13 hours. That's what nightshifts can do I guess. I had an interesting dream where I was scuba diving and snorkelling with my sister, and she showed me her surprisingly water-resistant Gameboy Advance (I was hoping it would be a PSP) and then we went camping and got locked out of our cabin (well, I locked us out) while a bear prowled through our campsite. But he was a friendly bear just popping in for a visit so it was okay, and then we unlocked the cabin and went in to watch the Grey Cup.
This is all a circuitous way of saying I have a free Flickr Pro account to give away. See, on the way home from work the other day we saw a black wolf. It was beautiful. And huge. I kicked myself for not having my camera with me- one should have their camera with them at all times is a lesson I am trying to learn. So my dream was kind of another reminder- even there I was caught without my camera, which is probably just as well during the diving part, but still.
Anyways, I think Flickr is great. With a Pro account you can upload 2 gigs worth of pictures a month. But I'm not just going to give away a Pro account, I think I will make you earn it. So if you want it, send me either a Playstation Portable, your favorite photo or artwork (made by you) or else a personal essay that explains in detail why you deserve the account, and which also makes mention of how great I am, and references at least ONE of the following: robots, Nazgul, Grey Cups, keas, or Slipknot. Obviously you will get bonus points if you work in more than one. Open to anyone who can meet one of the three criteria. Anyone, even lurkers, family members and residents of Quebec who usually get left out of all the contests for some strange reason.I will give you a week. Starting last Monday. Just kidding. Starting today.
Send your submissions to nwaddell (at) gmail dot com.

Working 12 hour shifts (actually, we get paid for 12.66 now with our new, even more faraway pit, though we are away from home for more like 15 hours) doesn't give me much time to update. And when I do I am usually so tired from the 12.66 hours that I don't make much sense. And the coal mining life, as fascinating as it is, doesn't always make much sense to the non-miner. But maybe I will tell the odd story here and there to teach you guys the language.
Today I got to be a refugee, off on my own a bit. Sometimes I like to pretend I am actually a prisoner on a penal colony- an airless asteroid or moon somewhere. Where all our machinery are really big robots except for me. The minesite could certainly pass for an alien world- the stark black-and-white landscape, especially at night, really helps the illusion. But today I saw a decidedly terrestrian sight- a group of bighorns stampeding away from either a very large coyote or perhaps a wolf. The canine wasn't exactly chasing them, per se, being too smart for such a waste of energy, but was more testing the waters to see if there were any stragglers, as any good predator would. Luckily for the sheep, there weren't any today.

Ever wonder what kind of ghost story would frighten a grizzly? Gather around the campfire, my friends, and I will tell you a tale . . .

One day as I was hunting I met an old grey wolf who was guarding a fresh kill. Since he was on my territory I didn't hesitate to assert my rights to the kill, and was about to dispatch the wolf when he asked me to spare him.
"Why should I?" I asked, thinking I might get a good laugh at whatever pathetic excuse he came up with.
"Because I know something which might be of interest to you- I know where there is a horde of gold!"
"Gold?? What do I care about gold?"
"You can use it to buy this entire forest from the humans so that they will never chop it down ever and there won't be any hunting here!"
"Hmm. Alright- where is this gold?"
"It's in a cabin down by the Kisikak River. Do you know it?"
"Yes, I fish near there often. How did gold come to be in that cabin?"
"It's a long story of intrigue, betrayal and murder involving humans."
"Oh. Never mind, then. I couldn't care less what humans do to each other."
"Actually, the murder wasn't committed by humans."
This caught my interest. "Then who?"
"The humans were poachers. Fur traders. They shot beavers, coyotes, wolves, and bears. The story goes that they shot and killed the mightiest grizzly bear this forest has seen in generations. "
"They couldn't have- I'm still alive."
"Well, anyways, the story has it that this bear came back."
"What do you mean, came back?"
"Like, he was a ghost and he came back and took care of the hunters. And now the poachers' gold is there just waiting to be dug up."
"The poachers had gold?
"They were also pirates."
"Uh-huh. And how do you know this?"
"I just do. Take me with you, and if it's not true, you can kill me."
"Alright, let's go see it."
The wolf led me down to Kisikak River and the 'haunted' cabin. The door was broken, open to the elements, and there were animal skulls scattered all over the grounds. I didn't see any ghosts, though. The wolf led me into the cabin, which was dark and dusty, and full of mice poo. Suddenly my paw was caught in a steel-tooth trap! The bastard wolf set me up! I swiped at him with my free paw, but he was out of reach, and laughing at me. Laughing!!
"You may be stronger than me, brother bear, but I am much smarter! There's no gold and the poachers are long gone. I am too, so enjoy yourself- maybe if you go into hibernation now someone can get you out of this trap before you starve. Farewell!" And with a howl, he was gone, leaving me to my fate.
I considered my options- I could chew my paw off, but I would be as good as dead without the ability to hunt even if I did. Hibernation would just expose me to scavengers, and delay the inevitable- I would starve.
And so I did. It took a long time, and it was painful. But when my time finally came to take my place with my ancestors amidst the stars of the Great Bear, I chose another road.
There is a ghost haunting the cabin of Kisikak River- me!