Christopher's Place

Been very rainy here in Victoria the last few days.  Yesterday, my Mom and I braved the torrential rain for a walk along the Galloping Goose Trail.

The Galloping Goose Trail is a 55 km trail, on an old rail line, between downtown Victoria and Sooke, BC.  We didn’t hike the entire trail of course; just from downtown Victoria to Uptown Victoria.

The later is a huge shopping development still under construction containing the largest Walmart in North America.

We actually ran out of time and energy and didn’t even go to Walmart, though we went to many other stores in Uptown Victoria.  I know what many of you are thinking; not going to Walmart is no great loss.

On the way there, crossing the old rail tressel on the Galloping Goose Trail, I took a few pictures of the Gorge Waterway on a very dreary, wet Tuesday afternoon.  I always think that part of the Gorge Waterway is so pretty and tranquil, even on a less than stellar day.

In a way I think it is even more beautiful on a cloudy and rainy day.  Certainly more peaceful, being a lot less people out braving the wet weather.  Call me crazy, but there is something about the rain that I like; the sound of it and the feeling of serenity and calmness when it is raining.

The tranquil Gorge Waterway on a rainy December afternoon.

Oak Bay Marina, Victoria, Canada

Went on a walk this afternoon with my Mom along Willows Beach here in Victoria, Canada.  The weather and sky were ever changing.  It was very blustery out and we got caught in a downpour for part of our walk.  There is something very special about walking along the ocean on a stormy winter day; the wind on my face and the rain pouring down upon me.  The power of the ocean is truly amazing.  I love the sound of the waves.  One of my favourite memories was camping on the beach many years ago, listening to the waves pounding on the shore, as I drifted to sleep in my tent.

Willows Beach, Victoria, Canada

Ten Mile Point, Victoria, Canada

As I mentioned in a previous post I’m taking a Medical Terminology course, with the end goal of being a Medical Transcriptionist, also known as a Medical Stenographer.  Last week, we had our mid-term, which I got 92 percent in.  Being the first time in ages since I’ve written an exam, I was a bit nervous going in.  Our instructor gave us some really good exam writing tips, which I am going to share with you.  I’m also going to share some tips of my own that seem to work for me.

1. Have a good nights sleep the night before the exam.  Don’t stay up all night studying.
2. Try to limit your intake of caffeine and sugar the day that you write the exam.  I know this is easier said than done, as I am addicted to both caffeine and sugar.
3. Exercise before you take the exam.  For example, if it is a nice day go on a walk.  This increases the endorphins in the brain and also helps you relax.
4. Take a deep breath before taking the exam.  The more you stay calm the more focused you’ll be.   Also, you’ll remember more of what you need to know.
5. Have a quick glance through the entire exam.  I like to do parts of the exam that I am most confident in first.
6. If there is a part of an exam that relies totally on memorization, you might want to do it first, while it is fresh in your mind.  For example, labelling parts of a diagram of the digestive system.
7. If there is a question that you are not sure of, put a star beside it and come back to it later.  If you spend too much time agonizing over the answer of questions you’re not sure of, panic and frustration can set in.  Than, you wont do as well for the entire exam.   Or you might have that horrible experience of “blanking out” all together.  You also might run out of time, not completing the entire exam; even questions that you know the answer to.  The later has happened to me in the past.
8. For multiple choice questions, choose the answer that is most true.
9. I know this is easier said than done, don’t second guess yourself!  Don’t change the answer unless you are absolutely sure that you answered incorrectly the first time.
10. Try to stay positive during the exam.  I find it really helps to use positive self talk during an exam and also while studying.  For example, silently saying “Good for you!” when you think you answered a question correctly.  It is probably a good idea not to say this aloud though, as this might distract other people taking the exam!

I am absolutely terrified of both heights and bridges.  Even just watching the truck cross this bridge almost gives me a panic attack!

This bridge(if you want to call it that) crosses the Russian Siberian Vitim River.  It is 15 feet above the water and 550 long meters accross.

As you can see it doesn’t even have side rails.  There is absolutely nothing seperating the occupants of the automobile from a plunge to the cold, fast running water below.

What scares me the most is the thought of a horrible death drowning in the river.  I just cannot imagine what it’d be like to be trapped the cold, deep water below; with water rapidly filling up your automobile.  What a horrible way to die.

It looks like the bridge is going to fall apart in any minute.  It wasn’t even build for vehicles.  It is an old railway crossing.  It has been replaced by the steel framed bridge just up river.  You can see the new bridge in this video.

When I first watched this video I assumed the newer bridge was for automobiles.  I didn’t realize it is a railway bridge also.   I wondered why on Earth they were driving across this structure when there was a newer, much safer looking bridge just a stones thow away.  I still have to wonder why in the world they are crossing such a structure!

Crossing a bridge like this is certainly not my idea of fun!  You couldn’t pay me enough to drive on this structure.  Many people out in cyberspace name it as the worlds most dangerous bridge.  From watching this video I must say I have to agree with them.

It was absolutely a stellar day today here in Victoria, Canada. The sun was shining and the air had that nice crisp-feeling; like a beautiful fall day in many parts of Canada. This morning I took advantage of the spectacular weather and went on a walk down to the Oak Bay Marina.  I find that there is something romantic and tranquil about boats.  Today would sure have been a good day to go sailing, with just a bit of a breeze in the air.

There is something very special about mountains. They are so beautiful and majestic. I just love mountains. They make me realize what a speck we humans are in the universe. Also, how small my problems that often seem so big really are. Here are some pictures I took last winter of the beautiful Rocky Mountains along the Trans Canada Highway in Western Canada.

I am a big fan of Lisa Irby, from 2createawebsite.com. I agree with Lisa one-hundred percent in this video; that the biggest mistake new bloggers make is being a “reporter” rather than a “trendsetter”.

Blog about something that you have knowledge and are passionate about. Don’t make the mistake of regurgitating info that is already out there, just for the sake of trying to make money.

If you write a blog about “how to make money online” and you have made little or no money online, than you are not going to have any credibility. People are going to see that you are just sharing information that is already out there.

If they are like me, they are going to see your blog as a poor attempt to make money online. They’re not going to trust you. After all, how can you teach me about making money online, when you’re hardly making a dime either?

Your blog is also going to be pretty boring if you’re just “reporting” on information already shared by other people. You’re not going to be able to share your own experiences and put your own voice into trying to be an “expert” on something you know little about.

It also is difficult to write post after post, day in and day out, on a subject that you’re not passionate about.

Lisa’s video on “A New Bloggers Big Mistake” is well worth a listen.

In an Employment and Education Exploration Program I took at a local college, we talked about the importance of finding a career that you are truly passionate about.

It is really difficult to spend the time and money getting the education for a career that you’re not passionate about, much less actually working in that field of work.. It is so much easier if it is career that you are truly passionate about.

This really hit home for me, as I spent many years in a job that I frankly hated and wasn’t very good at for that matter either; working as a professional cook.

I just dreaded going to work everyday. I found it hot, stressful, anxiety provoking, and just plain unenjoyable. I basically spent 8 months in training and another 8 years in a job that I had no passion for to say the least.

If I had done some research about professional cooking, before I invested all that time and energy in it, I would have known that it wasn’t the job for me. I also would have known that working long hours with low pay as a line cook in a hot and fast paced restaurant really wasn’t something that I was suited to. It was not even a career that I was good at.

I suffer from anxiety and in terms of my mental health working in as a professional cook was like throwing oil on a fire.

Twenty years later, I’ve gone back to school yet again. After much research and consideration, I’ve decided that I’d like to be a medical transcriptionist, also known as a medical stenographer.

Medical transcription puts my different skills, experience, and interests together.  I’ve worked in the health care field as a nursing assistant; a job I liked but found very stressful, physical, and the shift work difficult. I also find medicine absolutely fascinating; something I think I have a real aptitude for and am passionate about. As well I enjoy keyboarding and computers.  Most importantly, it is in a field that I am truly passionate about.

I started this blog only a couple of weeks ago and the initial excitement that I felt having my first post published has already fizzled out. I just can’t seem to get “inspired” to write about anything.

I know I’m not alone in this, as I’ve seen countless blogs that only have a few posts and haven’t been updated in a very long time. Reading there early posts, I see that like me they had every intention of writing new posts on a regular basis.

It is so easy to get all excited about a new project in the beginning. However, when that initial “honeymoon phase” wears out it can be difficult to “keep slogging” or “keep blogging”. How is that for a pun! Pretty “punny” as a friend of mine would say. Or maybe not that much. As you can see I have quite a quirky sense of humor.

I’ve had both websites and blogs in the past. I would always be all excited about my new blog/website in the beginning. That initial ethusiasm didn’t last that long and I’d always end up giving up on the project, almost as quickly as it started.

I think part of the problem was that I wasn’t passionate about what I wrote about. Like going to work everyday with a job that you are less than passionate about, it is hard to write about something on a regular basis that you’re not passionate about.

I think I need to find a niche to write about that I’m truly passionate about; something that excites me.

However, that niche also needs to be broad enough in that I have enough content to write about on a long-term basis.  No offense to people in Pouce Coupe, BC, but if I had a blog on the tiny village, I’d likely run out of content real soon!

On the other hand, I don’t to blog about a topic too broad.  For example, I’d never be able to begin to be able to “make a dent” into the topic of Canada.  It is just too vast of a topic with way too much information to cover.

My next blog is certainly going to be on something that I’m passionate about.  I just need to find out exactly what that is.

I’ve always been a bit of an armchair psychologist and true crime buff, so when I heard about the book The Psychopathy Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry,  I had to buy it.  I am really glad that I did.  It is written by Phil Ronson, the author of The Men Who Stare At Goats, which a movie of the same is based on.  I found The Psychopath Test to be a fascinating, entertaining. and even hilarious read.  Yes, the author successfully manages to make a humor out of a not so funny subject.

Ronson’s quest to uncover psychopathy leads him to meet Bob Hare, creator of the PCL-R Test, a 20-step checklist which gives individuals scores of zero to forty; the higher the score, the more of a psychopath they are. Phil even attends one of Bob Hare’s seminars to learn all about psychopaths and how to discover who is or isn’t one by using Bob Hare’s test.  Ronson learns that about 1 in 100 people are psychopaths.  They’re not just found in mental institutions and prisons either. They’re successful businessmen, stock traders, CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies and even physicians. They’re everywhere!

Phil Ronson’s expose into the world into the world of psychopathy leads him to spend time with quite a collection of people and places; a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud in Coxsackie, New York, a CEO who the press have speculated about his psychopathy, and a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane who insists he’s sane and definitely not a psychopath!

The suspected CEO psychopath I mentioned enjoyed firing people so much that he even made  jokes to people who he fired; “You may have a sports car, but I’ll tell you what you don’t have. A job!”  Kinda reminds me of a boss that I worked for at one time!

What I found alarming reading this book, are how many people that I have come across who seem to meet the criteria of psychopath according to Bob Hare’s Psychopath Checklist.  I find I am going through the checklist in my mind of people I know who seem just a little too charming, superficial, lacking empathy, egotistical, etc.  You know what they say about “a little bit of knowledge being a dangerous thing”.

I liked The Psychopathy Test so much that I’ve gone out and purchased another of Phil Ronson’s books, The Men Who Stare At Books.  The Psychopathy Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is definitely a fascinating, hilarious, and entertaining look into what is otherwise a very serious topic.