Over the past 5 months I have been working on getting my Provincial Instructors Diploma. I have been an instructor for almost one year now and this program is a requirement in the college I work in. My initial reaction to the course was that I would just do it to get the diploma and not put much effort in it. After my first course that all changed. I became driven to learn more and was sent on a path of self directed learning that will not end with the completion of this diploma. If you are an active trainer/teacher/instructor or want to become one, there is no better program than the Provincial Instructor Diploma offered by Vancouver Community College.

Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale

  Pumpkin beers are hitting taps and shelves all over B.C. and one of the best is brewed in our home province. Most people think pumpkin beers are a new style of beer but they have been around for centuries. When the first settlers came to north america malts used to ferment beer were not readily available, but pumpkins were. Pumpkins ferment very easily and are cheap to buy and easy to grow.  
  Howe Sound Brewery has a lineup of excellent beers and a beautiful brewpub in Squamish B.C.  Howe Sounds beers are on the large size, but they come with pot-stopper lids which re-seal the lid if your not able to finish their beers in one sitting. Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale is an excellent representation of a pumpkin beer. its described on their website as " A high gravity pumpkin ale brewed with barley, fresh roasted pumpkin, hops, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, water and yeast" 
     If you have never tried a pumpkin beer this is an excellent start. It is a very strong beer, so having the resealable lid might help you be able to show up to work the next day.

http://www.howesound.com/home.aspx

Awards
North American Bronze 2012- Herbed/Spices Gold
Canadian Bronze 2012- Pumpkin Beer.
North American Bronze 2011- Herbed/Spiced.
Canadian Silver 2011- Pumpkin Beer

It's almost here!!!

  My favourite time of the year is here. Football season has begun. While I'm a huge fan of the NFL, I'm specifically a Seattle Seahawks fan. I have been a season ticket holder for 6 years now and never miss a game. Most people from Canada do not have any idea how much bigger live sports events are in the USA. A Seahawks game day experience is something to behold. The usual kick-off time is around 1:15pm but the city is alive and ready for football by 9am. Near the stadium the bars open at 10am but there are lineups to get in before. The tailgating parties begin much earlier and the level of planning that takes place for the tailgating parties is amazing. For those who don't know what a tailgate party is, it's when a group of people meet up at a sporting event hours before it starts and BBQ and consume alcohol. It's usually done in a parking lot or warehouse area within walking distance of the stadium. I've seen small tailgate parties of 2 people huddled around the back of a car or large tailgate parties where there are multiple big screen televisions and full BBQ pits to feed 50-100 people. Friends of mine that tailgate, plan their menu all week long and decide who will bring what. They bring multiple BBQ's and coolers and tents and set all of this up at 6:30am. The alcohol laws in Washington allow open alcohol containers around the stadium. In Vancouver they have tried to promote tailgating parties but there is no alcohol allowed, which I have a hunch has something to do with why tailgating is not as popular in Canada. Tail gaiting is so big in the USA that there are online magazines dedicated to it. Sites like tailgatermonthly.com  and tailgating.com are dedicated to the art of tailgating. Each teams fans have dedicated Facebook pages to their tailgate parties and in some cases I think people like the parties more than the football. Seahawks tickets are very difficult to get this year. Many of the so called experts are picking them to win the super bowl which in turn has raised ticket prices. If you are a sports fan or just a fan of entertainment in general, I encourage you to experience game day once in your life. The experience is more than just the game itself.  GO HAWKS!!!
 

Blog #1

  I have always been told that I should write a blog. Until it was a requirement for a course I am taking it was something that I said I would consider but really never thought I'd get around to. Well here I am. A brief history on me: I grew up in a small fishing/farming community outside of Vancouver B.C. until the age of 27 when I moved downtown Vancouver to the Yaletown area. I then moved to Kelowna B.C. for a year and then Calgary Alberta for just under two years. On October 1, 2011 I moved back to the White Rock B.C. area and absolutely love it here.
  I have worked as a Commercial Fisherman, Farmhand, Automotive Collision Repair Technician. Night Club Bouncer, Vocational Instructor and a Tech Rep for an Automotive Collision Repair company. My main area of expertise is in the Automotive Collision Repair industry. Automotive Collision Repair is when your car gets into an accident or needs painting. I don't do oil changes or brakes on cars(unless related to an accident). What I do is straighten frames, replace panels, replace bent or broken suspension, repair or replace body panels (etc etc).
  The point of this blog is to share other experiences not related to my area of expertise. I write enough about my field in previous assignments. In this blog I want to write about where I've been, where I want to go and places I love. With my previous job experience listed above you can imagine that I would have some interesting stories to tell and I plan on sharing them here. So hopefully you want to come along for a ride.