Monkeys, Midgets and Moonshine April 30, 2011
Posted by Ben Miljure in Books.1 comment so far
At one time in my life I read a lot of fiction but in recent years I’ve been drawn to more non-fiction works. Now that I’m finished school, I have more time on my hands and I’m re-kindling my love affair with the novel. I recently read a really good one and thought I would share a little review of it here. Not long ago, somebody I know actually scoffed at the notion when I said I considered myself a literary person so perhaps I am not best suited for this type of discussion but I don’t care because I read a great book and I’d like to tell you about it.
Can the movie possibly be as good as this?
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen takes place on the trains and carnival lots of a barnstorming circus in 1930’s America. Obviously, I’m no expert on that era or circuses in general (though I’d like to be!), but it seems like Gruen really did her homework before sitting down to write this book and it shows in the incredible detail she uses to describe life as part of a travelling circus.
The protaganist, Jacob Jankowski, is a young Ivy-league educated veterinarian who hops aboard a moving train seeking escape after a tragedy shakes up his life. If it was adventure he was after, he was more than fortunate to be boarding the train of the Famous Benzini Brothers Circus, The Greatest Show on Earth. When Big Al, the owner and manager of the circus, discovers Jacob is a trained vet he decides to keep him on. And so begins a summer long journey that will criss-cross America and forever alter the course of Jacob Jankowski’s life.
The Benzini Brothers’ train is a crowded place with hundreds of performers, freaks and general labourers and dozens of exotic animals from monkeys to lions and even a polar bear. Jacob is forced to share a make shift room in a stable car that transports a dozen arabian horses. His roomate is Walter, a four foot nothing midget clown with a drinking problem and a temper. Initially, he’s none to pleased to be sharing his accomodations with Jacob but eventually warms up to him and even occassionaly offers him a sip of his moonshine.
The train rolls from town to town putting on shows in empty fields. They travel at night and in the morning they set up dozens of tents and arrange a parade through the town to draw in the locals. By mid-afternoon the carnival is in full swing with food and games and, of course, the great spectacle under the big top. Marlena, a beautiful young equestrian is the star of the show. From the moment poor Jacob lays eyes on her he’s more than smitten and it’s not long until he’s head over heels in love. The only problem is that she’s married to the nasty-tempered equestrian director August.
As the train steams it’s way across the country, and the story towards a spectacular climax, adventures and tragedies begin to pile up for young Jacob. The first person narrative is beautifully woven between the perspective of young circus vet Jacob and his 93 year old self vividly recalling that fateful summer even as the rest of his faculties begin to fail him in a nursing home.
At times hilarious and at others heart-wrenchingly sad Water For Elephants pulled me in and didn’t let go until the final paragraph. Even though the story had made its way to a logical conclusion I was left yearning for more. Like a small child being dragged home from the circus after the show I wasn’t quite ready to leave. My only problem with this book was that it ended and that’s just about the best endoresment I can give anything I read.
Wild Things April 24, 2011
Posted by Ben Miljure in General Assignment.2 comments
As part of my job as a reporter at CHON FM, I am assigned to the environment beat. This past week I had the opportunity to take a tour of The Yukon Wildlife Preserve and I am glad I did. It was the most fun and educational three hours of my time in Whitehorse so far.
The first animals we came across were Wood Bison. They were thought to be extinct due to hunting and cross-breeding with the closely-related Plains Bison but an untouched herd was found in Northern Alberta. Now, the population in the Yukon is so strong that there is an open hunt on the animal. However, nationally they are still considered an endangered species. Bizarre.
Dall Sheep
Next up were the preserve’s three species of sheep. Dall, Stone and Big Horn. The names are a little confusing because the Dall is actually the one with the largest horns. It’s really quite spectacular the way they curl. Back to the topic of hunting, each year in the Yukon there is an auction and the winner (usually someone from outside the territory) is allowed to go in to Kluane National Park and shoot one of these majestic animals. My stomach turned a little when my guide told me about this trophy hunt.
Look at the playoff beard on that Mountain Goat!
I saw some elk, deer, caribou and muskox before we came across another animal that really caught my eye. Looking through binoculars, I saw a herd of mountain goats frolicking up and down the side of what appeared to be a sheer cliff. It was unbelievable. And then we saw one that was much closer to the fence line than the others. I’m not sure why he had wandered down from the cliff but I’m glad he did so I could snap a picture of him up close.
Hello Kitty!
Not much farther along the road were the Lynx. The Preserve us home to two males and a female and they have to be kept seperate because otherwise they would breed to much. A thin chainlink fence divides the two enclosures and the female sat up on a pedastal while one of the males paced back and forth along the fence lone. Eventually, he tired of the game and went to lay down in the snow. It was neat to see how this wild cat had some similar mannerisms to a house cat.
Nala the Arctic Fox
The next animal I saw was my favourite of the whole day. As our vehicle pulled up to the enclosure, the mischevious Arctic Fox began running up and down alongside the fence. I don’t know if she thought we had food or what but she was putting on quite a show. Just like with the Lynx, I was struck by how similar this wild animal was to a household pet. Eventually, Nala (yes, the arctic fox now has a name) tired out and lay down for a rest so I could take some photos of her.
Look at the sleepy puppy 🙂
The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is an amazing place and the work they do there is critical to ensuring that wild animals in the territory sustain healthy populations and habitats. For those of you living in the Yukon, they are always seeking donations and volunteers. I plan on returning often. And I will also take every opportunity I can to see Yukon animals in their natural habitat. And when I do, I will write about it and post photos right here on Aurora Bennialis.
This Is How We Roll April 10, 2011
Posted by Ben Miljure in General Assignment, Sports.1 comment so far
Team CHON: (L-R) Dennis (The Menace), Emily (The Slow Roller), Dan (The Man), Caroline (The Ringer), & Benjamin
People came together in bowling alleys all across the country this weekend to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters. The Whitehorse event took place on Sunday at Mad Trapper Alleys in Riverdale (everytime I say Riverdale, I imagine Moose from the Archie comics, “Duhhh…stay outta Riverdale.” Anybody else? Anybody?). I was able to participate as part of the team from my radio station.
There are two components to this event. Obviously, the actual bowling is one. But the most important part was to raise money for the kids. As a newcomer to Whitehorse, my fundraising skills were lacklustre but I tried to make up for it by reaching into my own pocket and giving what I could.
More than 20 corporate teams came out to support the cause here in Whitehorse. It was an impressive showing. We fell short of our goal of raising the most money in the media division. That distinction went to The Whitehorse Daily Star. The award for most money raised overall went to Java Connection. As of Friday when I interviewed their capatain, they had passed the $700 mark. With their bubbly personalities and friendly smiles, I’m not surprised.
Well, we came up short in the fundraising department, but we cleaned up in door prizes. Between the 5 of us we had our numbers called 4 times. I personally won a Corona t-shirt with a Boston Pizza logo on it. It looked suspiciously form fitting so I donated it to Team Java Connection. They’re all female and I was confident one of them would be the right shape for it. Although, they seem to have too much fashion-sense to actually wear a BP server’s t-shirt.
We were able to get in two games in the alloted time. It has been awhile since I tried my hand at 5-pin bowling but I think I acquitted myself fairly well. I had the high score on my team in the first game with 136. In the second game I rolled a 121.
Yeah! Carter was throwing rocks tonight. Mark it, dude!
But the story of the day had to be Caroline Carter. After warming up with a respectable 121 in the first game. She knocked out a mind-boggling 179 in the second. She was nailing strike after strike. I can’t say this officially, because I can’t verify the other scores, but I would venture to guess she probably had one of the highest scores of the day. Bravo Caro!
Home Sweet Home April 3, 2011
Posted by Ben Miljure in General Assignment.1 comment so far
Chez Benjamin
After two and a half weeks of living out of a suitcase, I have finally moved into the house I will call home for the forseeable future. It’s a small house with 3 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen all on one floor. There’s also a small guest house on the property. A very nice deck has been built over most of the front yard and in the back there is a shed and a gravel driveway.
It is located almost perfectly between my work and Main Street. A 5-10 minute walk to each. It’s only 3 blocks to l’Association Franco-Yukonnaise where I’ll be taking classes soon and there are numerous coffee shops within a stones throw. The New China Garden Restaurant is also nearby. It’s so revered by Yukoners that the territory’s Economic Development Minister recently entertained a delegation from Beijing there (I’m not even making that up…I’m not sure if they tried the Chinese or the Western cuisine).
I will be sharing the place with a very diverse and interesting cast of characters. I don’t suspect that any of them will ever actually see this blog but I’ve chosen to assign them all nicknames nevertheless. They are The Matron, Ontario, The Baker and The Girl-Next-Door.
The Matron has been renting the house for 6 years and she sublets the other two rooms in the main house. She can best be described as a little, middle-aged bundle of energy. Whenever she’s around I feel like we’re having ten conversations simultaneously and I’m never sure if I’m commenting on the right one.
I moved in on Friday and she and I had a couple of glasses of wine to break the ice. At one point she told me she was a straight shooter who didn’t like to keep secrets. Then, to prove her point she told me she wears a bridge. And, in case I didn’t believe her, she removed her teeth and showed them to me. Yikes!
As the evening wore on, I suggested that I was going to venture out and get something for dinner. She said she would order a pizza and she knew just the place. So she called and ordered from a restaurant on the other side of town. A restaurant that doesn’t deliver and by this point she had consumed several glasses of wine. But, she showed sound judgement and phoned a cab instead of driving. The driver came to the house and she gave him money for the pizza and he went to pick it up. When he came back she paid him the fare for the return trip in his taxi. That one large pizza cost over $70! And the strangest thing is, there is a pizza place only two blocks away from our house and they do deliver.
While we were eating the pizza Ontario came home. He rents the other room in the house and is called Ontario because when I asked him where he was from that is what he responded. Admittedly, it has been a while since I visited that province but I believe it is still made up of several distinct regions and towns. Perhaps one day Ontario will tell me which part he calls home.
For the time being, I know very little about him. He spent last summer in the Yukon and went home in the fall. I guess he spent most of the winter pining over some girl he met here because he came back for her. This is where the situation gets a little complicated. As far as I understand it, this fair-maiden didn’t ask Ontario to move here and now that he has she is trying to distance herself from him.
I can relate. I know all to well what it’s like to move thousands of miles for a woman only to be sent packing shortly after arriving. But, I had the good sense to go back home and get on with my life. I don’t know if Ontario has fully accepted that this girl is not interested and so he has decided to stay in Whitehorse to try to win her affections. He’s taken a job at a grocery store and rented a room from The Matron.
His room is barely big enough for a single bed and a small dresser but he spends most of his time in there. Baseball season started on Friday and he’s been watching the Toronto Blue Jays everyday. When the games are over, I think he watches sitcoms or movies. He’s constantly laughing out loud. I can hear him through the walls but it doesn’t sound like a genuine laugh. It sounds like he’s responding to things he knows are genuinely funny but bring him no good humour at the moment. I’m afraid it’s a conditioned response.
Many a friendship has been forged between men with little more in common than a love of sports and an understanding of failed relationships. Perhaps those things will help me develop a bond with Ontario but first he’s going to have to come to terms with the fact his relationship is over and then he’s going to have to actually come out of his room.
The Baker lives in the little guest house. He starts work at 2AM everyday making bread at the nearby Alpine Bakery. He’s from the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. We hit it off immediately because I spent a summer there once. His English is a work in progress but he tries very hard. We’ve decided that I will speak to him in French and he to me in English. So far, it appears The Baker will be my closest friend at the house.
And finally, that brings us to The Girl-Next-Door. The Matron talks about her constantly and at least once a day goes to visit her so I assume they are friends. Even if they are an unlikely pair. The Girl-Next-Door appears to be quite sporty. At least that’s what her attire would indicate; along with the skate and snowboard decals all over the back of her car, a vehicle that’s adorned with pink rims.
When I agreed to take the place, one of the selling points The Matron highlighted was the included wireless internet. When I tried to log on I was prompted for a password. That’s when The Matron told me the internet connection was actually The Girl-Next-Door’s. She said she would phone her to ask for the password. She dialed the number and then immediately thrust the phone into my hands.
“Hello?”
“Uh….hi….I’m the uh…new guy next door. Ummm….The Matron said maybe I could use your internet connection?”
It was an awkward introduction. I quickly offered to pay half the bill for the connection because I didn’t feel right calling up a total stranger and asking for a hand out. The Girl-Next-Door agreed to let me split the bill with her. She doesn’t know the password but she’s going to try to find out and then we’ll be in business.
The Common Ground
For now, that is the divergent cast of characters that make up my new home. On the surface, we all seem so radically different and I’m sure at times our patience and tolerance will be tested but I’m confident that we’ll find our common ground. Under the late evening sun, drinking beer and barbecuing on our deck, surrounded by the natural beauty that is Whitehorse, I’m hopeful we’ll learn a lot about each other and a little about ourselves.
Aurora Bennialis 