To The or Not To The

There is an ongoing debate in the Yukon about whether or not there should be a "the" placed in front of Yukon. The government thinks not. Many locals think the government should stay out of it. Some say that its incorrect grammar to use "the". I think that's just arguing semantics. Others point out that we don't say "the Saskatchewan" or "the Ontario", but I would point out that we do say "the Riviera" and "the Congo". I've also heard it said that "the" is correct because the name is derived from the Yukon River and all place names that come from a river include "the". I don't know what is "correct" (although I am certain there are people who lose sleep over it!). Personally I think it makes more sense to include the "the" because "the Yukon" is essentially a shortening of "the Yukon Territory". But when it comes down to it, I find it always sounds wrong to just say "Yukon" without the "the". So expect me to keep using it here in this blog.

I'm quite sure this argument will continue long after I've left this place!

Life in a Northern Town

I was always a huge fan of the TV show "Northern Exposure". Perhaps that's partly why I've ended up in "The North". So just how closely does it resemble that erstwhile vision of life in a quirky northern community? Strange as it may sound it does have some similarities...a hodge podge of interesting characters, the "community doers", the moose walking around town (OK...so no moose, but there have been mountain goats seen atop rubbish bins, bears and coyotes).

But more than that, there is just a sense of time moving at a different pace to anywhere else. And lifestyle is the first priority...anything that interferes with lifestyle is generally frowned upon. And this includes business. So don't be surprised if your call or email is not returned; or if you can't get hold of anyone during the lunch hour (yes, businesses here actually do close their doors over lunch)...you kind of just get used to it here. But I recall that it was quite a shock for me when I arrived with my city ways of "now, now, now". You can try to keep that up but it will just wear you out and you won't get anywhere anyway. So you might as well just relax and deal with it.

But maybe these folks have it right...maybe its those of us from the cities with our obsession with instant gratification that need to reassess how we do things....life is, after all, for savouring. And surely having a lifestyle that suits us is one of the most important things we can strive for.