#calgary trip nov 2022

[calpicowater]

Week 47.2/52: November 21st - November 27th 2022 | Sotteok Sotteok 🧡

After eating brunch, I walked around Calgary Central Library with Angela before I had to head into work (tragic). Took some new library photos........ it’s so nice there as always. She came back to bring me bubble tea and food near the end of my shift! Finally got DON’T YELL AT ME again (love that logo) - honey wintermelon tea, and tried sotteok sotteok from The Apron (was eying it for so long on doordash). THANKS FOR THE FOOD IT WAS SO YUM!!!!!!!! 

[traveldude-blog]

WestJet Christmas Special

Hacienda Buenaventura Hotel and Mexican Charm

Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

WestJet Vacations

Calgary to Puerto Vallarta (Other Cities Available on Request)

Check-in date: December 19, 2022, Check-out date: December 26, 2022

Room king: All inclusive: Double occupancy

Was $2079.00 ($1699.00 plus $379.00 Tax) 

On Sale: $1645.00 ($1259.00 plus $386.00 Tax)

Deposit $250 per person Final Payment Nov 24, 2022

Package includes Round Trip Airfare with WestJet Airlines to Puerto Vallarta

Leaves Calgary on 19Dec at 9:00am and arrives at 3:56pm

Leaves Puerto Vallarta 26Dec at 7:00 pm and arrives at 10:38pm

Return Airport Transfers. Direct Return Transfers are optional at $51.00 per person.

Accommodation in a King Room

Taxes

Not included: Package Tour Insurance: Highly recommended

Book your package at www.jetawaytravel.ca or email me at jet.awaytravel@outlook.com to get the full package details

[cashforhousesnashvilletn]

Luxury Coach Service Vonlane Rolls Into the South With Routes Between Nashville and Atlanta

Vonlane, a Texas-based premium transportation company is expanding its luxury motor-coach service with a new route between Nashville and Atlanta. Daily service and 19 weekly departures from each city provide travelers with the eliminate of wait times experienced with other forms of travel. For the first time, vonlane will be connecting two of the South’s fastest-growing cities—Atlanta and Nashville. Travelers can expect a new transportation choice complete with features such as 22 first-class leather seats, ample workspace, complimentary Wi-Fi, and an on-board attendant offering premium cabin service that includes snacks, meals and beverages. Sell My House For Cash Nashville TN “I started Vonlane to give travelers an alternative to the delays and interruptions that accompany short-haul flights and the hassles of driving one’s own vehicle. We have experienced enormous success with our Texas routes as leisure travelers love the luxurious, first-class travel experience at fares below the cost of commercial air travel, and our business travelers know they can work in a quiet, comfortable environment and bill their travel time,” said Alex Danza, founder & CEO of Vonlane. Beginning in November, travelers from Portland to Las Vegas may connect via Vancouver and Calgary. The two cities are about an hour apart by air. The first direct connection between the two metropolises began on Nov. 4, 2015, when Delta Air Lines launched service between Vancouver and Las Vegas; travelers can now book travel at www.vonlane.com starting immediately. Service begins with a three-month introductory rate of $99 one-way or $198 roundtrip transportation without taxes, baggage fees, or change fees starting February 1, and fares will increase to $119 one way or $238 round trip beginning March 1. The first timetable has departures from each city every day as follows: Nashville to Atlanta (Central time zone) Monday through Friday schedule: 6:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday schedule: 10 a.m., 2 p.m. Atlanta to Nashville (Eastern time zone) Monday through Friday schedule: 6:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. Outbound passengers from Nashville to Atlanta will board at the Omni Nashville Hotel, and arrive/depart in Atlanta at the Grand Hyatt Buckhead. The company also announced the opening of its Southeast Region office in Nashville, led by Melissa Burson, who has worked for the firm for the past five years and is transferring this month from Austin, Texas. Danza selected the Nashville-Atlanta route for expansion due to several reasons, such as the length of time it takes to reach Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport from Nashville and how traffic has gotten worse in recent years due to Nashville's population growth. “Our luxury coach is a new way to connect two growing, dynamic cities. We know that, for years, both business and leisure travelers come and go between Atlanta and Nashville with great frequency. Our luxury coach offers a real alternative to sitting at the airport or wasting productive time sitting in traffic in either city,” Danza said. The Department of Transportation's statistics show that, among all US airports, Nashville International Airport has the worst record for delays. In June 2022, 24.69% of flights departing from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport were delayed by an average of 60.64 minutes. At Hartsfield-Atlanta Fulton County International Airport 23.84% of outgoing flights were delayed, with an average wait time of 64.18 minutes. “Combine the travel from the office to the airport, the wait in the airport and the potential delay, and our coach can have a traveler closer to their destination, while air travelers may wait for two hours or more just to board the aircraft. At Vonlane, show up 15 minutes before departure, check in, take your seat, kick back and work or read – let us take care of the travel hassles,” Danza said.

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

Inside China's curious and challenging plunge into women's hockey

Kunlun Red Star players line up for the national anthems in Markham, Ont., on Oct. 21. (Chris Tanouye/CWHL)

When one of the top women’s hockey coaches in the world was summoned to China for a job interview, her partner asked her to sleep on the first offer. But Digit Murphy only listens to one source.

“You live and die by your strengths, and mine is my gut,” she says.

Sometimes in hockey you have to shoot first and ask questions later.

The offer presented to her was two-fold: to lead China’s first ever pro women’s team into the Canadian Women’s Hockey League and to coach China’s national team to a medal at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. If that sounds like a lot to chew on, bet that Murphy’s the one with the appetite for it.

***

Ice hockey is the premiere sport of the Winter Games and China, like any host country, wants to boast to the world about its athletic prowess. The national women’s team placed an all-time best fourth at the 1998 games but have finished seventh in two subsequent Olympics while not qualifying for the two others.

The Chinese have more often than not turned inward to find coaches but this time have looked to Canada and the United States to lead them internationally as well as in the CWHL. Murphy, 55, hails from the U.S. and will coach the Kunlun Red Star while Canadian Rob Morgan will coach the Vanke Rays — the second of two CWHL expansion teams announced this year.

Murphy, in brief, became the winningest coach in NCAA Div. I women’s hockey history in 2006-07 after her 18th season at Brown, has coached at the international level with USA Hockey, and has already won two CWHL Clarkson Cups with her former team, the Boston Blades.

It’s a story of mutual benefit between China, which gets world-class talent growing its hockey program, and the CWHL, which gets greater exposure and financial security. Both get to bring awareness to women in sport.

Players and management pose during the ceremonial puck drop before Kunlun’s inaugural game in Markham, Ont. (Chris Tanouye/CWHL)

With the CWHL team, as well as a men’s team in the Russian KHL led by coach Mike Keenan, both pro clubs aim to boost the country’s interest in hockey. An early-season report, however, said the KHL’s KRS team held the lowest attendance numbers in the league, just 2,705 fans per game.

Keenan calls it “the biggest project in hockey in the world,” and says the goal is “to have more hockey players playing in China than in any other country in the world.” Backed by two wealthy investors — bank executive Xiaoyu (Alex) Zhao and oil and gas investor Billy Ngok — KRS is not short on cash, and money will talk throughout this experiment.

Expansion is a quantum leap for the CWHL, which began operations 11 years ago and remains a not-for-profit league. In its infancy, players had to pay to play, but now with the addition of the two Chinese clubs, opportunities for the league to grow have increased exponentially. Prior to the 2017-18 season, CWHL players were only paid modest sums for travel, some equipment and performance bonuses. But after the strangest and most promising summer of its existence, players for the first time will be paid still-modest sums that range from $2,000-$10,000.

When news broke of expansion, many CWHLers were hearing about it for the first time, and nobody knew all the details and implications. The league made its formal announcement on June 5 at the Hockey Hall of Fame when just the one Chinese club, KRS, was made official. Questions were abound: a report suggested all-world players Noora Räty and Kelli Stack had signed with the team and there they were on stage that night, Zhao alluded to a second expansion team in his speech, and CWHL commissioner Brenda Andress mentioned a salary cap, which was odd because players had never before received a salary. One player texted me during the press conference: “The CWHL girls are asking, ‘What salary cap?’”

The league didn’t make official its plans to pay its players until September, yet by then it had become clear that KRS and Vanke were recruiting top North American and European talent that would be paid handsomely. Only to get around CWHL rules, they would not be paid as players but as “sport ambassadors” who would help the national team players (their KRS and Vanke teammates) through osmosis while promoting the sport around China.

Naturally, these details had some existing CWHL players feeling left out. The Players’ Association was not involved in the decision to expand.

“To be frank, [KRS paying “ambassadors”] is a loophole, but they’re just opening a door for an opportunity for those girls that I’m not gonna complain about, that’s for sure,” said Calgary Inferno skater Jacquie Pierri. At a Puck Talks panel in June, Markham Thunder GM Chelsea Purcell questioned the league’s strategy and suggested that China’s ambassadors would be paid upwards of $60,000-$100,000, a range repeated by other sources with knowledge of the organization. The league saw the live broadcast of the show and afterward admonished Purcell.

The mystery then deepened. On July 15, with commissioner Andress back in China, the CWHL tweeted that the league would be adding a second Chinese team. No press release was issued and the league did not respond to inquiries from the media (though the CWHL was without a full-time communications person at the time). The tweet was then deleted but only two days later, a lifetime on Twitter. The CWHLPA had questions themselves but they went largely unanswered for most of the summer. A league schedule, which would have helped answer many questions, did not appear until Sept. 22.

“After lots of confusion at the beginning of the summer, the league has been receptive,” says PA representative and Thunder goaltender Liz Knox. “Especially in terms of agreeing to player compensation. In my first year in the CWHL, I paid $1,500 to play. For me now to be making the $3,000 minimum for a senior player is a huge step.”

But questions remain regarding just how much money KRS has invested in the CWHL and in what ways that investment affected the North American club players getting paid.

“I really don’t know where the dollars are coming from directly,” says Knox. “I know that sponsorship dollars have increased. I know that China has, in some capacity, paid to enter the league.”

For some, traveling to China for the four-game, nine-day road trip won’t be possible due to commitments to full-time day jobs. The Chinese clubs, whose players now play full-time, will take several weeks-long road trips across North America. KRS, for example, is currently in the midst of a seven-game swing that began Oct. 21 in Markham and ends Nov. 14 in Montreal.

Kunlun’s Stephanie Anderson in action against the Markham Thunder on Oct. 21. (Jess Bazal/CWHL)

“But for years it’s been a problem for some just to travel for a Calgary road trip on a Friday for the weekend,” says Knox. “Is it worth getting on a plane Saturday morning only to fly back Sunday night?”

***

For those with experience coaching hockey in China, seeing money thrown around is nothing new.

“They have money — they’re spending money — but not on the right things,” says Matt Bourgeois, director of Absolute Goaltending and former goalie coach with the women’s national team.

Bourgeois was hired in July 2015 as China’s first full-time goalie coach. He also participated in the NHL’s grassroots program while there. But he resigned in early 2017 frustrated with the direction of the program, saying “I basically wasted my time over the past two years.

“My frustration came from the lack of leadership and knowledge base for what was required. They just assumed that if I trained these goalies incessantly, day-in and day-out, two practices a day, six days a week the entire two years I was with them, [they would improve].”

Bourgeois took issue with misspent resources which included too much ice time, poor eating habits borne out of expensive stays at hotels while touring, substandard training facilities, and ill-fitting equipment that the goalies would choose themselves. He suggested things like staying in cheap college dorms while touring North America and going grocery shopping to teach players how to eat properly.

“My starting goalie [and current KRS backup Yuqing Wang] had pro-return pads from Evgeni Nabokov and a pro-return glove from Jaroslav Halak,” he says. “I told them she needed lighter equipment and the team said she bought what she liked. There are no hockey stores in China so she didn’t get to try this stuff on. Her glove was extra stiff and extra thick because it was Halak’s practice glove. It was a travesty watching her use it.”

He laments that there lacked a pipeline of goalies in the system, which is likely since there are only about 300 active female hockey players in the entire country. The goalies, he says, were without the required motivation to improve, and without a translator for 90 percent of his time on the ice, communication was lacking.

Finland’s Noora Raty will be leaned on to provide support to her Chinese counterparts. (Jess Bazal/CWHL)

“Frustrations like that built up to where I thought I wasn’t going to get anywhere with the team.”

Bourgeois says the team had a history of picking former Chinese players to coach, a strategy he likened to hiring Wayne Gretzky rather than Mike Babcock. But he also believes they’ve made the right choice in hiring Murphy and Morgan.

“Digit and Rob are brand new and have no idea what they’re coming up against,” he says. “They’re gonna see what I saw and try to change things because they’re good hockey people. They’ve hired the right person for women’s hockey because Digit is a champion of the women’s game and raises the level of awareness of female sports.

“We [Bourgeois and former national team coach Rick Seeley] didn’t want to come in and say to the Chinese that our way is better but wanted to create teaching moments for ownership that explained that there’s a way to satisfy your bottom line while properly developing hockey players.

“They could be so much stronger if they went to a full development scale versus what they’re doing now.”

***

It’s become clear that Murphy intends on riding her “ambassadors” to victory, hoping that success will rub off on national team players.

“We’re trying to elevate our players’ game, and you can’t elevate their game if you’re rolling four lines to develop Chinese athletes,” she says. “Part of the Chinese players’ mindset has to be [realizing they’re] not as good as Shiann Darkangelo, Kelli Stack, or Noora Räty, and figuring out what they need to do to get there.

“For me, it’s about winning and teaching people how to win.”

She insists there’s no oversight from ownership as to how she coaches, “because if they did that, I wouldn’t have taken the job. It’s not about everyone getting equal ice time, and you could argue that’s what Chinese hockey used to be about. They would play all 20 of their players and they never got better.”

Murphy told the Toronto Star last week that having those North American and European ambassadors on the team is “like [having] 10 more coaches injected into your system.” In particular with Räty who is a longtime goalie coach herself.

The Finnish star clearly has the attention of her CWHL peers who’ve watched her career from afar. Knox refers to her as “one of the best to ever touch the women’s game.” But for an Olympian as accomplished as Räty, her gaze is directed at the head coach.

“Digit’s not afraid to say things straight, which I like,” she says. “She’s a pioneer for women’s hockey and now I can see why her teams win championships.”

“Anything else is not a victory,” says Murphy. “You have to help people believe why that’s going to happen.”

[calpicowater]

Week 47.8/52: November 21st - November 27th 2022 | Driving Back to Van 🚗

Roadtrip with boyfriend to go back home!!! I cleaned our *luxury* airbnb and we packed the truck and left. Got Peter’s milkshake (orange flavour 🍊) for the road and Lil Empire Burger for lunch before heading off. The roads were so bad.... we were going 20km for like a solid 2 hours. We were driving in complete darkness for so long at one point. A struggle. I’m just glad we made it safe after nearly 9 hours. Ate a really yum pizza for dinner in Salmon Arm (our stop for one night) while watching Bob’s Burgers. IT WAS SO YUM. 

[calpicowater]

Week 46.8/52: November 14th - November 20th 2022 | High Park! 🌈

Long awaited High Park date finally here (although 5 months delayed). Super cute park, good for photos. I bet it’s even prettier when the ground isn’t covered with snow. Had too much fun on the seesaw (jk I died from fear LOL). Also walked around Calgary downtown while we were there (see next post) and got Milk Ice Cream to end the day. I tried their corn flavour and it was delicious!!!! Ty my fave for spending day off with me :’) <3

[calpicowater]

Week 46/52: November 14th - November 20th 2022 | Sunsets & Snow ⛄️

Day off spent trying to reinstall EOS for work and we were not even clocked in lol. Saw some pretty sunsets in front of airbnb. Wanted to do some stuff with bf before meeting Tiffany for dinner but the ice cream place I wanted to visit was closed ;( tragic rly. Still a nice time, always a nice time with him <3 

[calpicowater]

Week 45.8/52: November 7th - November 13th 2022 | Sso Yummy

I ordered delivery because it was too cold & icy to go outside. Ate all this before my shift. Got spam gimbap, spicy rice cakes, fishcake soup & tiny custard taikyakis LMAO. It was a very yum meal!!!!! Worth $18 ?????

[calpicowater]

Week 47.4/52: November 21st - November 27th 2022 | New Necklace 📿

My first ever Tiffany piece aka my lollipop necklace actually broke (the white enamel just fell off one day...) so to replace that one I got another necklace (mini open heart necklace)! Trying to take advantage of that Alberta 5% tax lol. It’s quite pretty and I am quite happy with it!!!! Been wanting it for a year now and happy to finally buy it. Was in and out of the store so fast as usual lmao........

Also headed to Scottman’s Hill after shopping trip to look at skyline lmao. Cold!

[calpicowater]

Week 46.2/52: November 14th - November 20th 2022 | Baekjeong KBBQ House 🥓

My biggest meal in Calgary! Reunited with Tiffany my Calgary BFF again, as usual. We ordered their Baekjeong combo (cheapest option with both beef and pork meats) and it was super filling. Got corn cheese & army stew soup on the side. They gave us free Korean yakult at the end of the meal to help digest LMAO. Overall very yummy!!!!!!! So happy I finally got to eat here. 

[calpicowater]

Week 45.5/52: November 7th - November 13th 2022 | Lil Empire Date 🍔

11/11 day off yay! New location of Lil Empire AKA my favourite burgers opened near our airbnb!!!! The Capitol Hill location is a lot bigger but the food also taste a bit different? A lot more sauce so all the tastes are stronger and I’m not sure if I like that. Went back to airbnb after eating to rest (actually I had to take care of my dying bf 😭)

[calpicowater]

Week 45.2/52: November 7th - November 13th 2022 | YVR ✈️ YYC

Woke up super early to catch my 8am flight lol. There was A LOT of traffic in the morning. Flight was okay for the most part. I was sitting next to a pilot who kept trying to talk to me about cameras HDJSKFFJK all because I told him I am going to Calgary for work as a photographer... The flight attendant was mean to me (unprovoked) :-( and I had to put my carry on suitcase 3989328 rows behind my seat which is so unfair!!! Caused me to wait so much longer after landing. People are just so mean. Was not a pleasant experience and I had to start work right after landing. Legit took uber right to the university rip. Had to set up so much shit and it was a mess overall. Plus the weather was -25 degrees. Big yikes. Eventually the day ended and we checked into our airbnb. Super pretty place. :3 Ate fire noodles for dinner (only meal of the day) and went to sleep zzzzz. TIRED... but yay I am finally reunited with my bf <3 Three weeks of fake married life begins now :’)

[calpicowater]

Week 47/52: November 21st - November 27th 2022 | Brunch with Angela 🥞 

Got a visitor from Vancouver LOL I really went from having Alberta friends visit me here to having Vancouver friends visit me here wtf (Katie visited me at around this time too but because I never took camera photos when we hung out there is no blog post about it). Met Angela early in the morning at BROUHAHA, a Korean brunch place. We got the sweet grilled cheese and french toast. It was really yum but HUGE portions fr. Got free lollipop after the meal hehehe. The interior was super pretty!! Food pretty too. This is one of my only sit down meals in Calgs this trip. Worth it!!!!!

[calpicowater]

Week 46.9/52: November 14th - November 20th 2022 | Downtown Calgary

A trip isn’t complete without walking around downtown at least once. This was my once. I only had time for once. Always grateful to be here regardless. 

[calpicowater]

Week 47.6/52: November 21st - November 27th 2022 | Last Few Days...

Last couple of days spent working all day everyday. Mostly lived off of my remaining instant noodles and $3.99 specials from the UofC cafeteria. Ate $3.99 specials with Hei every day during our shifts it has become a meme LMAO. Tfw you cannot spend any more money after buying Tiffany & black friday.......

[calpicowater]

Week 46.6/52: November 14th - November 20th 2022 | Filesender 💻

Daily life in Calgs. Wake up, watch movie, eat, work, come home, do filesender, sleep. Rinse, repeat.