Work and other News

Project Management

I've  officially started working as a project manager. This is the culmination of many months of work, a good amount of study and more than a few acts of kindness.
I was originally rooting around for a short term project at my work place for a change of pace. I asked around for some project which had a definite beginning and end. Three months later, I was asked to help with a collaboration between my work place and an outside agency.
As if this wasn't enough, I am one course away from getting a PM Certificate from my alma mater which would qualify me to take the "gold standard" exam with the vaunted Project Management Institute. This would entail a lot of studying -- there are multi-day courses which help to prepare you -- to sit for the 4 hour exam.
I'vee just started working on a project which will, I think, be challenging and gratifying. It is, in fact, a program in progress with multiple projects within it. At this early stage, the word amorphous comes to mind. But it's still early days and that descriptor is probably, in equal measure, a result of my lack of familiarity with the program and the on-going nature of the program extant.

Maynooth AirBnB

On our way to Algonquin's interior, we decided to split our journey in to two days.  On the first, we started our drive north late in the day, slept overnight at a B&B in Maynooth, about a 30 minutes drive to Algonquin.  The B&B had a beautiful little gallery attached to it.  You can find this gem, Wildewood Guest House, on AirBnB.

Algonquin Park Provincial Park

My trip to Algonquin with a friend from work is best described as a bust. Three days of mostly rain and camping on a promontory (which is great when it's warm and sunny but a windy, exposed hell in inclement weather) wore my co-worker down and we honoured one of the few rules we had for this trip: Either of us could call the trip off without initial explanation. We would pack up and leave and talk about the reasons for bugging out on the paddle back to civilization.
The day we abandoned our trip started  with rain (this was day 3) and the forecast called for thunder showers in the afternoon. Seeing a window of about 3-4 hours we packed and left.
Pics from the trip which, despite its early termination was still memorable....click on the pics for a larger view.

The view from our campsite.

Our kitchen setup.

Tarp setup for the incessant rain.

My favourite pic of the whole trip.

Black Spruce sap...amazing fire starter.

Winding our way through a narrow passage on the way back.

Canoeing on Galeairy Lake on the return trip.

Using the paddle as a sail on the windy paddle back.

Waiting for the unceasing rain to end across the bay from our campsite.

My 2nd best picture of the trip: my paddling partner washing dishes.