Jeremy Cothran

The Oregon Coast. Man, what a state.

Left coast is the best coast.

I promised 2013 would see a drastic change in the amount of digital information I consume. So less tweeting and more taking in views like this from the Oregon Coast. I already want to go back.

My Edmonton introduction came in the back of a cab on Highway 2. As the driver maneuvered through a winter whiteout, I saw an oversized billboard with a scantily clad blonde letting me know Edmonton “supports Big Oil.”

Gotcha. Definitely not in Vancouver anymore, Toto. 

Anyway, I’ve decamped to Northern Alberta for the next three weeks to report for the business section of the Edmonton Journal. I’ll also pull a few shifts on the city beat. Needless to say, it’s an exciting opportunity to get outside my comfort zone as a journalist. 

After touching down at YEG, a few of the stereotypes associated with Edmonton started to crystallize. Men in 10 gallon cowboy hats chatted over steaming mugs of coffee. A nervous-looking 20-something asked his friend how long the bus ride was up to Fort McMurray. Both appeared to have flown in on a whim, ready to beat down some doors in search of those coveted six-figure jobs in the tar sands. 

More than a few people apologized about the weather. Winters here are no doubt harsh and unforgiving, so I prepared accordingly (toque, puffy coat, long johns, etc.). But it’s still a shock to hear people refer to -10 degrees celcius as “mild.”

Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow on the Coast Mountains. As if I needed another reason to love living in Vancouver. 

For a second, I pictured myself winding through the back woods of British Columbia, bombing up the Sea to Sky Highway, and hugging the contours of the Sunshine Coast.  

Took a walk around the neighbourhood today to capture the onset of fall in Vancouver. 

Toro is just as happy to be out and about enjoying this Vancouver weather as his owners. 

WhitecapsFC, followed by beer + poutine, made for another enjoyable night out in Vancouver. Man, do I ever enjoy living here. 

A few members of the Vancouver Canucks have been practicing recently at UBC, including a couple of formal workouts before the NHL lockout officially began. 

I grew up a hockey fan. But I’m always reminded here just how important the sport is to the fabric of Canada’s identity. The 40th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series - an event many here call the seminal moment in the nation’s sporting history - has received the full attention of both newspapers and television this week. Most notably, I enjoyed this oral history in the Globe and Mail, which was compiled over the course of 100 interviews with all the relevant participants. It’s worth the read as the story does a fantastic job framing the magnitude of the eight-game exhibition with the Soviets.