The Sparks Lady

The first time I'd heard anything about comments made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on Newstalk 1010' s The Night Side with Barb DiGiulio .  For reference, here is a section of the comments from Mr. Trudeau at the recent G20 summit as posted in an article from the National Post : " Even big infrastructure projects, you know, might now say, well, what does a gender lens have to do with building this new highway or this new pipeline or something? Well, you know, there are gender impacts when you bring construction workers into a rural area. There are social impacts because they’re mostly male construction workers. How are you adjusting and adapting to those?"    A lot of people are focusing specifically on the "social impacts... ...of mostly male construction workers" part in a negative light. I'd agree, it certainly doesn't sound good, does it? The resulting public interpretation of what that comment meant spinned the narrative to that of t

Well this is it! The last week of learning before the next weeks exams. At this point, the focus on learning the last few things, and getting that last bit of practice before we get tested. Just when collectively we seem to be mingling more as a group, it's so soon going to come to an end. The Dean of the school came into one of our classes to gather feedback about the school environment and the curriculum. The electrical curriculum hasn't officially been updated since 2003. The technology has changed so much since then. The teachers have been great with staying up to date. However, with fairly strict guidelines as to what they have to teach, there isn't much time to deviate for new material. There was also an interesting discussion that came up about the school environment, specifically as a trades school. Generally, non-trades people won't notice or pay much mind to things like plumbing issues (toilets not working for long stretch of time), communication wires

Monday's are long days. All lectures, from 8am - 6pm if we don't get let out of the last class a little early. This is the last Monday of learning though. Next week is the May Long weekend, so no classes, and the following week is test week. Phew! Tuesday was a frustrating day. I was hoping my Employment Insurance would finally be in. I'd been told 3 weeks ago that it should take 3 weeks to resolve. (Some complications between injured leave from the car accident transferring to regular EI for school). After a phone call to Service Canada, I was told all that they could do was flag it, and the processing department has 7 business days to review and clear the tag. So still delayed, for all the same reasons, with no explanation as to why it didn't get resolved in the original 3 week time period. Great. On the bright side, on Tuesday I finally managed to throw my garbage out from the second row of the amphitheater classroom. Softball season is back! This week in the P

Week 6 already! I had two tests this week: Electrical Theory (87.06%) Code (84.21%) This week we've finally gotten out of the electronics lab and into the electrical shop, where we've started to learn some programming of a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD). I've installed a few of these, but have never programmed them, it was often up to the HVAC mechanic who had the specs for what was required for the motor. It allows motors to run at varying speeds, instead of only be turned on or off as needed. This is proven to be a more efficient method of heating and cooling control. There also seems to be more overlap between the classes. We might cover the same topics in Electronics, Code and Theory, but all from a slightly different perspective. It certainly helps with making the information stick. There are a couple assignments coming up, but no more tests until the final week, which is all testing.  I get the sense everyone is feeling a bit drained with the additional cl

This week is the halfway point. After this, only 4 more weeks to go. On Monday, Graham and I swapped vehicles. After driving the truck, getting in the Civic was like watching a dog drag its butt across the floor, except I was the dog. It seemed like I should have been in Fast & the Furious, driving under tractor trailers. I digress... There were two test this week: PLC programming (I got an 87.06%) and Prints test (I got an 92.68%). I I had someone commend me this week for dealing with all the accident related stuff but still getting 80's and 90's for my grades. (Also got 100% on an Instrumentation assignment!) This has been Hump week: we are now at 4 more weeks to go before school is over. So it's really 3 more weeks of learning and a week of tests. WIth how busy I've been, I've had to drop any tutoring I wanted to do. I've had a minimum of 3 appointments a week, mostly after, sometimes during school. With missed classes I had enough of my own catch

I had 3 tests on Monday and we're not even halfway through the course yet. Through the tutoring I've been doing, I reviewed the content for these tests in much more detail than I would have were I reviewing the material solo. As they are mostly reviewing content, I'm not too worried about them. Tuesday was the day I was most excited for this week. I got to be a guest speaker at Craig Kielburger Secondary School in Milton. They had a #ProTalk event for speakers from various industries and careers, and the students could choose 3 of the talks to attend. There was 20 minutes of speaking and presenting my slideshow, and 10 minutes for Q & A. If there weren't questions, I would help fill the time by giving some advice for interviews. I received my marks back for the three tests: Electronics: 82.86% Electrical Theory: 91.67% Instrumentation: 87% There are 2 more tests next week: PLC's (computer programming) and Prints class. I'm still liking the PLC c

He's going to hit me. If I try to maneuver maybe- Bang! One One-Thousand. The sound of a scream came from somewhere. I realized it was me. I shrink in my seat, recoiling from the impact. The side airbag deployed, grazing the left of my face and shoulder. I barely registered it. Somehow my right hand wasn't on the steering wheel. "I need two hands, two hands on the steering wheel. Steer!" Things were freewheeling now. I'm not in control. What's next? Two One-Thousand. Look left, the airbag was there. Look forward, but my focus was blurred. I could only see on what was happening inside the car. "Pump the brake, pump the brake, pump the brake!" I hit the curb that bounced me up and over the island. Three One-Thousand. "Pump the brake!" I came off the island into the right turn lane, no one was there. The car stopped. I braced for another possible hit. Nothing. I waz vibrating at a higher frequency. Trembling. I

Week 3 already! We have 1 test this week in our Code class, and are getting ready for 3 tests next week in Electrical Theory, Electronics Theory and Instrumentation Theory. The Certificate of Qualification Prep course has been quite helpful at reviewing the material from the last 2 terms from school (Basic, and Intermediate). It's too soon to include content from Advanced (this term, level 3) as we haven't covered everything we need to know yet. However, it's certainly reassuring to get some of these practice questions back and knowing if it was the actual C of Q exam, I would pass! I had to arrange to take Electrical Theory next week for a different day. Thankfully, the teacher was understanding, and we made arrangements for me to write it the day before (and of course sworn to secrecy about the test)!  In PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers - the computer programming stuff) the thing I like the best is being able to download the program to our logic boar

It's been a busy week! I've had appointments or social events every day after school: Monday: John Cleese show with Mum (my Christmas present to her). Tuesday: Chiropractor and Counselling appointments (post car accident related). Wednesday: Dentist appointment (Invisalign refinement). Thursday: Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board "Your Daugher, Her Apprenticeship Dinner (I am participating as a mentor for high school girls who are interested in pursuing a career in the skilled trades and in taking the apprenticeship route). Friday: Massage Therapy (post car accident related). It's only the second week, but we've already had an assignment and 2 quizzes. We are preparing for our first test in our Code Class next week. In Electrical Theory and Code class we have been doing a lot of review. The PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) class is my favourite so far. It is the use of programming "ladder logic" on the computer system to set operation

This is it! The final block of schooling for my apprenticeship! After this, I have enough hours to switch from Apprentice Class to Journeyperson Candidate, which means I have completed the requirements for my apprenticeship, and qualify to write my Certificate of Qualification exam. I'll be honest this first week of school has been tough, as I've been dealing with the fallout from a car accident two weeks ago. Thankfully the first week is mostly introduction to the courses and some review from the last term. Due to the college strike last Fall, our 10 week course has been reduced down to 9. The classroom hours are the same, just spread out over less weeks. In addition to that, the Certificate of Qualification Prep Course has been made mandatory by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. The Certificate of Qualification exam has such a high fail rate (for its high level of difficulty) that many people have to take it a second or third time. To assist those t

The flurried inconsistencies of information I received was astounding. I've bought and negotiated for a few cars in my time. This most recent has to have been the most frustrating. The key, I've decided: do your homework. As a woman walking into a car dealership, we can almost be guaranteed to be treated at a disadvantaged level. It saddens me that this is still prevalent. I was asking questions about the Ram 1500. As I summarize the key points, remember that these things happened over 3 dealerships and a mechanics shop: In researching diesel vs. gasoline engines: I was aware the frequency for oil changes in a diesel is less than that of a gasoline engine, but wasn't sure by how much. I was told everything from every 5,000kms regardless, to 8,000kms or every 6 months, to 10,000kms or every 8 months. The manufacturers recommendation: follow the engine management system, it will notify when oil life is low. Do not allow oil changes to exceed 16,000kms or 12 months. Much

There are moments in my life that I know, looking back, were turning points for me. Either I was at a crossroads, or in some cases feeling like I was at a dead end, and needed to figure out a way to forge ahead. The wake of some of these turning points rippled through a decade or more of people, places and things that would never have been for me otherwise. They can all be traced back to one decision. I was working as a sales representative, almost 4 years into the job. I felt I had made the position as much as I could over my time with the company, including changing locations and helping bring things up to speed. I was beginning to get the itch to do something new, and knew I wanted to further my education in some way. I needed to decide if I wanted to continue on the same track and look at marketing or business school. Or, change things entirely. The question was answered for me when a clue landed on my lap. A digital shot clock that I had recently sold to a customer came ba

Public Service Announcement: Here's a reminder, especially as we get closer to tax season, to be careful about Canada Revenue Agency (or any) scams. I had a call today from someone claiming to be from the CRA. He gave me the name of the CRA rep he was calling from, and his badge number and an incident number. The reception was in and out so it took me a little longer to interpret and wrap my head around what he was saying. According to this man, my last 5 years of tax returns had been assessed, and there was a warrant out for my arrest for tax fraud and evasion . In order to prevent the issue from progressing, (according to them by getting arrested and having to go to court), I had to pay what they claimed I owed, and the warrant would be cancelled. I was told this was a time sensitive issue and I would have to pay the money today, and was asked if I had the funds available (I didn't give them an answer). They also threatened me that if I hung u

The conversation on mental health in recent years has taken broad steps to remove the stigma associated with the topic. This openness towards discussion has hopefully led more people to seek help and receive the treatment they need, based on their symptoms. It has even expanded in the ways of policy changes for first responders who experience and are exposed to scenarios as a result of their work that some of us wouldn't dare imagine. However, I believe we are selling ourselves short here. Many of the discussions I have had surrounding mental health have been related to people experiencing PTSD, or other diagnosable mental health issues. What the current discussion fails to include is anybody's day to day mental health. There are many influences to our mental state, stressors that if left unattended can have a significant impact. It's important to keep ourselves in check. How are we really doing? How are we taking care of ourselves today? How can we take care of