Tis the Season...

Last week I was feeling overly festive, I finished my Christmas shopping, set up my tree, and began wrapping gifts, o did I mention I painted Garfield and Odie in my front window and put up lights outside.

This week; the sun is shining, the snow has melted and I'm beginning to wonder if I peaked early on this holiday season like I did with Halloween. I certainly hope not.

I have been trying to think of things that can keep me in the holiday mood, perhaps I should make myself a list of things to keep me festive, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated:

Bake Christmas Cookies
Finish Wrapping presents
Watch Christmas movies
Download and listen to Christmas music
Do good deeds for those less fortunate(everyone likes random acts of kindness)
Go to the Wildlights at the Wildlife park
Go snowboarding at Sunpeaks
Night ski or tubing at Harper
Ice Skating with my cousins
Spitit of Christmas train
See the Wizard of OZ (I know not very seasonal but still fun)
Visit the Brightnights display at Stanley Park

Well it's a start, now to find some friends to join in the activities, that shouldn't be too hard to do :)

Feeling very nostolgic

"Change your Facebook profile picture to a cartoon character from your childhood and invite your friends to do the same. Until Monday (December 6), there should be no human faces on Facebook, but an invasion of memories. This is a campaign to stop violence against children."

In lieu of the fact that nearly everyone on my friends list on facebook has changed their profile picture to a favorite childhood cartoon character, I have been reminiscing about my childhood.
Cartoons were so much better back in the good old days, so much simpler, or at least in my recollection they were.
I chose Scooby Doo, as he has been and always will be my favorite. There is no reason in particular that I have this obsession with Scooby Doo, though it is quite evident given the fact that a large stuffed version of him sits in the back window of my car, and has sat in every car I have driven since I was sixteen.
Now this particular scooby doo was not one that came along with me through my childhood, no my mother bought him for me for my 16th birthday. Don't worry my dad bought me the usual 16th birthday gift, a car, though it never ran and never would, it was parked in our garage for four years. I miss that Volkswagen beetle, certainly was a shame.
Now since I have been reminded of all the great shows from my childhood in viewing friends profiles, or even my daily feed informing me that "so and so" and " 25 other people have changed their profile picture." I think It's time to sit down in front of my TV and watch some cartoons

Saving a cat from the cold

About a week ago my boyfriend and I got a call from his father, informing us that he had found a cat nearly frozen in the snow. The Temperature on this particular day was -15, certainly not acceptable for a pet to be outside in such temperatures. At the time we were shopping at the Harley Davidson store for a Christmas present for his father, so needless to say Gavin was a little spooked when the phone rang.
As we were paying for our purchase the girl at the counter overheard what we were talking about, as we were headed to meet his father at this point. "You're going to keep the kitty right?" The cashier asked. "If you take him to the pound they'll kill him," she pleaded. "They have to many cats there."
With that thought in mind we headed to Inks Lake road to meet gavin's father. The cat was freezing, we picked her up with very little fight, she was so starved and cold the chances of her possessing enough energy to run away were unlikely.
Sitting in the truck on the way to gavin's parents I fell in love with the furry creature wrapped in a blanket in my arms.
"What do you think about softtail," Gavin asked. "Softtail?" I replied. "Yeah it's a type of Harley, what do you think about it for a name for the cat."
Smiling to myself, I attempted to think of other types of Harley names, knowing that my boyfriend too had fallen in love with this creature."
"How about Dyna," I asked. "Like a Dynaglide."
So it was decided that this poor creature would be called Dyna and as long as she got along with our Dog Foxy she was welcome in our home.

Gavin's dad wrote a letter to the editor of both the local papers about the event. The articles can be found in both the "Kamloops Daily News" and "Kamloops this week."

Time goes by so slowly

Tick Tock, Tick Tock. I am going to kill this clock. The longer I sit here and listen the more insane I think I am going. What they say about watching paint dry, is also true for watching time go by at work. I work part-time at a bowling alley, Falcon Lanes to be exact. Seconds quickly seem like minutes, minutes drag on for hours, and hours unbearably appear like days.
In the four years I have worked at this bowling alley I have come to the understanding that summer hours are boring, it is not peak bowling season by any means, and if I have more than 10 customers through it is considered a good day.. at times one customer can be a good day. I have often wondered why exactly this is. We have air conditioning in here, we sell cold drinks, we are an entertaining place to take the family, yet from May till September we sit like a ghost town.
I understand that people would much rather go to the beach, but what does one do when they have had too much sun, swallowed to much water or burnt far to much, perhaps they should go bowling, to escape the heat.
I am being productive, in my mind that is, my boss would not see what I have spent the last 5 hours doing as beneficial to their company. Yet he does not care, as long as I sit here awaiting the customers he hopes will suddenly magically appear.
During my time here I have blogged, Tweeted, Face-booked, updated my profile on LinkedIn and sent out a number of Resume`s to potential employers. I have no intention of leaving my current part-time position I simply need something full time to fill up the rest of my time and pay my bills.
Some would say what I spent that time doing was slacking, however on the contrary I was being far more productive than many people are during their entire day at work.
For a Journalist, Networking is a very important task in their career. If you have no social media presence I am sorry to say that you will not be very successful in this day and age.
I resisted the soft chirping coming from my friends Twitter accounts but finally caved in and decided that I too should Tweet like a bird, It is a great way to make connections and to keep up to date on what is going on in the world, for both entertainment and work purposes.
My goal now is logical, I must find myself a following, must branch out and make connections, must some how make the world aware that I am here in it and need to be heard. If you have any suggestions on how I might go about doing this please feel free to contact me in whatever way, shape or form you see fit.

Articles from July 15th Merritt News

So these are from my last week working at the Merritt News. I am certainly going to miss it. Actually I have missed it. Being unemployed in the summer isn't that bad, except when you've got bills to pay or feel like eating, which seems to happen on a daily basis. Alas employment I will miss you, Hope we can meet up again some day soon.

Feds given extension to change Indian Act

BCTF says teachers want task force and random sampling instead of FSAs

Merritt Otters swim team makes splash in Kelowna

Coldwater Hotel celebrates 100 years

July 8th Merritt News Stories By me

Sky glow burning out?

Province contributes to 4-H clubs

Music in the City rocks Rotary

Resume

KALEENA LOEHR
(email: Kaleena_loehr@hotmail.com)


EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

EMPLOYED (SUMMER 2010)
Merritt News Merritt, British Columbia
Worked as a general assignment reporter/photographer. Researching, interviewing, writing and editing stories for publication in the weekly newspaper, as well as photography to go alongside the stories.

EMPLOYED (DECEMBER 2006- PRESENT)
Falcon Lanes Kamloops, British Columbia
Worked in both concession, reception and front counter, setting up customers for games of bowling, serving customers food, drinks and alcoholic beverages in concession, as well as custodial duties and other tasks as deemed necessary. Was responsible for cashing out and closing up at end of business day.

EMPLOYED (SEPT 2008- PRESENT)
Freelance Journalist Kamloops, British Columbia
Have used the skills acquired through my Journalism degree as a means to have works published in local newspapers. Have currently had articles published in The Kamloops Daily News, Kamloops This Week, and The Omega.

EMPLOYED (DECEMBER 2008- PRESENT)
Frolek Fencing and Contracting Kamloops, British Columbia
Worked as a personal assistant; running errands, organizing, photocopying, and filing paperwork, and invoices. Assisted with moving of materials as well as construction of fences.

EMPLOYED (MAY 2008- OCT 2009)
Shoppers Drug Mart Kamloops, British Columbia
Cahier supervisor; watched over cashiers, in charge of daily deposits and cashing in and out cashiers at beginning and end of shifts.

EMPLOYED (JULY 2007- JAN 2008)
Convergys (Charter project) Kamloops, British Columbia
Worked as a Telephone customer service representative for American cable company, Charter communications. Assisted customers with Internet connectivity issues and other technological questions through telephone customer support line.

EMPLOYED (DEC 2006- JULY 2007)
Sahali Post Office/ Ticketmaster Kamloops, British Columbia
Worked in Post Office, Ticket Master and Lottery Centre. Sorted Mail, sold stamps, weighed and postmarked packages, assisted customers in mailing needs. Sold tickets to concerts and sporting events. Sold Lottery Tickets, validated winning tickets.


EDUCATION/ TRAINING

BACHELOR OF JOURNALISM DEGREE
ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE
YEARS ATTENDED (SEPT 2006-APRIL 2010)
Thompson Rivers University Kamloops, British Columbia
Completed a four year Bachelor degree in Journalism. Courses taken include: Photo Journalism, Public Relations, Media Law and Ethics, Writing and Editing Techniques, Political Reporting, Digital Art and Design, Online Journalism, Freelance Writing, Reporting for the Media, Working in the News Business, Intro to Info Technology, Acting/Theatre History, Issues in Aboriginal Economics, Creative Writing…

DIPLOMA YEARS ATTENDED (SEPT 2001- JULY 2006)
Thomas Haney Secondary School Maple Ridge, British Columbia

CERTIFICATE
Serving it Right
Lottery Operator Certification 1.0
Food Safe


VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

DATES (MAY 2004 & MAY 2005)
Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows Home Show Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Greeted and directed patrons upon their arrival at the Home-Show.

DATES (NOVEMBER 2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006)
The Happening Craft Fair Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Assisted with set-up, clean-up, organization, advertising, as well as simple maintenance throughout the fair.


PERSONAL SKILLS:
Mature, able to multi-task, reliable, creative, enthusiastic, detail oriented, honest, self-motivated, team player, punctual, personable, and polite, 40+ WPM.

July 1st Articles

Merritt news articles by me in the July 1st paper.

Music in the City gets underway today at park
Job counselling centres to be reduced in B.C. interior, Merritt office to stay open
Merritt otters get wet start
Summer Reading Club starts up again

New Campfire restrictions

New article about restrictions on Campfires. They have changed them from one metre by one metre to a 1/2 a metre by a 1/2 a metre. I got to interview my friend Elise from the Kamloops Fire centre for this story. Definitely makes a day at work go by faster when you get to interview your friends.

Province imposes campfire restrictions, effective July 1

June 24th Merritt News Article

So after yet another successful week at the Merritt news I have 7 more stories published this week... There are also three more photo credits but unfortunately I can't find them on the site. I am finding myself to be quite upset by the fact that I don't get to do this full time and am only here at the paper for another week. I am certainly going to miss being employed and secretly I may miss Merritt.
Anyway, here are my stories from this weeks paper. The first one is actually about a friend of mine Trent Johnson. Enjoy

Country Drummer plays back-to-back weekends
Music In the City pitched to city council
ATV bylaw may not be needed: mayor
New courses for Aboriginals
Lung Association elects Gage
Forestry society receives government funding
SportsBriefs June 24, 2010

Scholarship

So the Foundation for the Advancement of aboriginal youth finally updated their website and acknowledged the fact that they gave me a $2500 dollar scholarship last year. Ironic considering the fact that I am finished school. Was wondering when that would finally be up. A giant thank-you goes out to canwest for their sponsorship.
Here is a link to the site:

The write up from the site:

Kaleena is Métis and is a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia. She is in her fourth year at Thompson Rivers University pursuing a Bachelor of Journalism degree. Her sponsors refer to her excellent interpersonal skills, commitment, and natural leadership abilities. Kaleena intends to pursue a career in public relations, advertising or marketing.

Mosquitoes

Precipitation brings armies of mosquitoes to Nicola Valley, Interior Health advises precaution

Story written by me on prevention of mosquitoes and the spread of West Nile Virus

7th story

So It seems I lied... I actually have seven stories in the merritt newspaper today... Go me :)
So here is the second:

Drought Communication plan

June 17th Stories in the Merritt news by me

Rather than attack my facebook with multiple posts I figured I would simply have one and use my blog for the links so here they are:

Merritt Midget Lacrosse team wins silver

Businesses upset with one-way proposal

police suspect inattention and alcohol in highway 8 fatality

MSS students learning trade producing professional grade homes

Moses still chief as federal judge rules impeachment unlawful

Lali longest serving South Asian MLA

Grasslands hotel site decision could be made next week

By some strange turn of events I ended up writing an article for the Merritt news when I was there for an interview last week. So I have copied it below... or click on the link. I have found myself in quite the predicament, I could almost certainly have a job with this newspaper if I was willing to move to Merritt... however that is just not a possibility for myself at the moment. The full time job consists of far too many days of commuting an hour each way, or forty five minutes each way if you speed a bit. However the wonderful people at the Merritt news are willing to work with me a bit and allow me to work part-time, they get a reporter for a couple days a week and I get some experience, it's a win/win situation. So tomorrow I am off to Merritt to work at 9 am... Wish me luck... O right the article.

"Merritt News Published June 10, 2010
LOCAL NEWS

Grasslands hotel site decision could be made next week
Kaleena Loehr
Reporter"

"Nicola tribes will look for a conclusion next week regarding the former location of the ABC restaurant.
The land at the 3300 block of Voght Street has sat empty since a fire took the ABC Restaurant, Days Inn and Grasslands Hotel on July 22, 2007.
On June 17 and 18, the annual general meeting of the five Nicola Tribes will be held at Merritt Civic Centre. On the agenda; the Spayum Development Corporation, the owner of the land the ABC restaurant was previously situated upon.
“A discussion will be held over the grasslands hotel, and the insurance settlement,” said Deloris Charters, public relations person for the Naik Development Corporation. “Whether they will rebuild or sell the land.”
The Naik Development Corporation is a corporation of the Lower Nicola Indian Band, which will be involved in the annual general meeting alongside the Upper Nicola, Coldwater, Shackan and Nooaitch bands.
The July 2007 fire marked the third in this location; it had previously been rebuilt after fires in 1972 and in 1990.
It has taken three years to come to a conclusion due to an insurance claim, said to be close to $8 million, which has not been settled.
George Saddleman, Chairperson for the Nicola Tribal association will chair the AGM. Saddleman, along with the Chiefs of the five Nicola bands, were not available for comment before this newspaper went to publication.
All members of the Nicola Tribes are welcome to attend the annual general meeting, which runs June 17 and June 18.xxxxDoors open at 8 a.m. for a continental breakfast."

© Copyright 2010, Merritt News
Story URL: http://www.merrittnews.net/article/20100610/MERRITT0101/100619997/-1/merritt/grasslands-hotel-site-decision-could-be-made-next-week

The secret

My mother is constantly telling me about a book I must read, which makes sense seeing as we both share a strange obsession for literature. The book is called The Secret which I have recently learned is being turned into a movie, so for those of you who do not share my passion for reading you can watch the movie in the near future.
The basis behind the book is that if you have a goal that you wish to obtain, all you have to do is send that message off into the universe and the universe will figure out all the bits in between. Know what you want, honestly believe that you deserve it, and it will come to you. Sounds like a great idea to me, And what can a little bit of wishing hurt?
on the advice of my mother I sent out into the universe last week that I would like to get a job interview, and voila I have two this week. Could the universe really be working it's magic for me?
So here I go again...

Dear Universe, whether you be a he, a she, an it, or some religious diety that the people of the world pay respect to, I would like a full time job this week, preferably one related to my career, that can help me to obtain my future goals.

I can appreciate the power of the universe, people of the world have believed in sending their messages off to god's for years so why not send them off to the universe in general? Could the universe really be listening?

Pritchett plays rowdy

Here is a link to my favorite story I've wrote... well aside from my one on gaming, but I'm a country fan deep down... Just don't tell anyone

Job hunting

When we finish University, the world expects something from us, expects big things, expects Triumphs, expects defeats... expects us to get off our asses and get a job for the most part. Now that is something that is far easier said than done unfortunately. Sure having a degree helps, but I am unfortunately finding that this does not guarantee a person employment of any sort. I have put out resumes into the world, some into the hand of potential employers, some into their e-mail in-boxes, some simply into the world due to the fact the wind blew them out my window... I apologize for the litter, I actually did stop and go back and pick them up... Very green of me I know. And Now I wait for a response from the world, the response we hope for is that we have a job but for now an interview seems to be enough to get me excited. I have in fact received to of these phone calls in the past week and now I have two upcoming interviews. I expect them to go well. I have to remain positive, for good things come to those who wish for them... And a job is all I am wishing for right now.

Twitter?

So I have decided to finally give in and make a twitter account. I have no idea how twitter accounts work, nor am I certain I want one, But I figured hey what the heck, why not... If I am going to be a real journalist or writer I may as well start using my blog and possibly my twitter... SO here it goes, wish me luck :)

My second life experience

For anyone who followed my other blog I figured I would give you an update... With school being completed I think it is time that my experience with Second Life be completed... or at least kept to a minimum, because I do have an addictive personality after all. Below is my final article for my political beat reporting course. Enjoy.


Non Profit Organizations turn to Second Life

Seated in a concrete auditorium, surrounded by various non-profit organizations, the members of the “Nonprofit Commons” listen intently to a meeting hosted by a cartoon penguin and a green feline. Non-profit organizations are turning to the Second Life community as a means to promote their organizations.

Second Life is the Internet’s largest user-created 3D virtual world community, developed by Linden Labs, first launched on June 23, 2003. Users are able to create an avatar within the world, with any name, character traits or appearance the creator wishes to include. Each person is able to live out any role they wish; it is in essence a second life outside the real world.

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are turning to this virtual community as a means to promote and further their causes. With the help of Techsoup, an organization dedicated to helping corporations understand the use of social media to promote themselves, these organizations are able to set up shop within the “Nonprofit Commons.”

The Nonprofit Commons is an area set up in Second Life, which consists of four separate virtual cities. In total these locations house over 80 social benefit organizations. The Nonprofit Commons is managed by a community of volunteers, under the leadership of TechSoup Global. With the help of Techsoup, as well as a number of charitable donations, this area was able to grow.

Techsoup created the Nonprofit Commons “to lower the barriers of access to Second Life, to create a community of practice for nonprofits to explore and learn about the virtual world, and to investigate the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize this unique environment,” according to their blog. “Through this community, we provide free office space to qualifying groups, meet and network, create a cooperative learning environment and foster outreach, education, fund-raising, all in a virtual space.” At present a representative from Techsoup was not available for further comment.

Bruce Hestley, Vice President of Vietnam Veterans Buckeye Foundation(VVBF), is currently occupying an office space within the Nonprofit Commons. This property was donated to his organization by Techsoup; normally property within the Second Life community would cost a fair amount of Linden Dollars – the currency set up within the game. However, thanks to what Techsoup is doing, these spaces are provided free of cost to interested non-profit organizations.

Hestley’s organization is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit corporation organized in Ohio by several veterans of the Vietnam War. Incorporated in 2002, it has the purpose of providing education to the general public regarding veterans’ affairs as well as outreach and assistance for all veterans and their families. In world the VVBF is represented by Vice President Murray Haefnir (the avatar of Bruce Hestley).

“A friend of mine talked me into looking into Second Life. I ran across the Nonprofit Commons,” said Hestley. “After attending several Friday meetings, I thought this might be a good way to touch base with other groups and help them or get help. The only cost was the stamp to mail the Memo of Understanding with proof of our incorporation. [The] biggest difficulty is trying to explain how a cartoon can help us.

“To operate in Second Life [there] is little or no real cost,” said Hestley. “Just a decent computer, which I already have, and an Internet connection, which I also had anyhow. When you are in your real life office reading the CPA report or searching for grants, it gets a bit lonesome. Being in SL gives you the opportunity to meet such a diverse group of people. The socializing is nice too.”

Over the past three months, his SL office has averaged 2.5 people per day, a considerable increase over the traffic their website generated. In addition, Hestley is proud to say he is learning about Facebook, Twitter, and other means of communication.

The VVBF shares their in-world office with the representatives of the Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA). Founded in 2003, TAVA is an organization that acts proactively with other concerned gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) organizations to ensure that transgender veterans will receive appropriate care for medical conditions in accordance with the Veterans Health Administration’s Customer Service Standards promise to “treat you with courtesy and dignity… as the first class citizen that you are.”

Janelle Levenque, National Treasurer of TAVA, first heard about the Nonprofit Commons on a Yahoo group. “[I] thought I’d take a look,” said Levenque. [I] thought an office here would be a good way to attract people. [The] only cost was furniture, minimal as there is a reasonable amount free. [It] took a couple of hours.”
Second Life offers “the ability to meet, network, learn, and teach others,” said Levenque. “It’s invaluable.”

She recommends three reasons other Non-profit organizations should turn to Second Life. “One, inexpensive, basically no cost required. Two, chance to network with some truly savvy international people. Three, opportunity to connect with potential members and/or supporters.

Over the last several months, TAVA has been averaging five visitors per day, several of which have become permanent members.

In travelling around the Non-profit Commons, I came across GiftstoGive, a NPO that gives new and gently used items to children in need.

Paula Ritchotte, a retiree, is a full-time volunteer within the organization. Although their organization has not had a considerable amount of response and very few Linden donations, she still had a positive outlook on the Second Life community.
“Since GiftstoGive is a hands-on tangible working charity, the impact of using Second Life at this stage has been negligible,” said Ritchotte. “Our hope is that as we grow and our reputation spreads, that those interested in having a GiftstoGive in other cities will be enhanced by our Second Life exposure.”

“The best result has been the ability to network with other similar charities,” said Ritchotte. “I would recommend Second Life to other charities because of the worldwide exposure and the relative ease of using Second Life along with low cost.”

Life

life has a funny way of working itself out... One day your going about your business and the next your in a car accident and in an immense amount of pain. You find your vehicle is totalled and you begin to question what it is in life that truly matters to you. They say everything happens for a reason, I would like to believe that. There has to be some good that comes from everything.
Yesterday my significant other and I were in a car accident, ICBC found it to be one hundred per cent the other drivers fault but I still don't see why we have to be punished. Our truck is being written off, it is my boys baby, and to be perfectly honest it has been a large part of our life over the past year and a half. But in the end it is just a vehicle... and the important thing is that we are all alive.
Certainly we are both a little bit shaken up, as is our dog that was thrown into the back of my seat during the impact, but no one is dead and that is truly all that matters. Material posessions can be replaced, injuries will heal over time, but my other-half, the half that makes me whole I could not do without.
I think this accident was a reminder of what I need out of this life and how I must appreciate what I have, which is something I have not been doing much of lately.
I came to the realization that the things that have been bothering me and stressing me out lately are not worth being stressed out about, life will work itself out, it has too. I need to stop stressing and relax and enjoy the ride... even when it gets a bit bumpy!
(If you hadn't clued in I decided it was time to start blogging again. Life has been a little blah lately and I think it's because I haven't been able to write or create since I've been out of school and unable to find a fulfilling job, so for now while I wait for that to come along I will fill the time with my random ramblings or sorts)