It's about to get a whole lot busier here in this part of west central Saskatchewan.
Adult sports, kid sports, community events, school events, local fundraisers, trade shows, grand opening celebrations, and to top it all off, there's also a federal election later this month.
Why the sudden burst of events on the calendar? Well, have you looked outside today? The sun is out, the sky is blue, and my phone is telling me it's currently a festively warm +19; a far cry from those dead days of winter in January and February where everyone was greeted by -25 or colder.
In short, spring is here, and as a result, literally *everyone* is taking advantage of it.
And what happens to yours truly when so much is happening locally, whether it's in Outlook or other communities like Dinsmore, Elbow, Conquest or Loreburn?
It's simple, really. I slip into my role as the local W4 guy.
Aren't you missing a fifth W there, Derek? Like that awesome investigative show on CTV that Bell Media decided to severely axe and relegate to a bit piece on their news shows?
No no, I'm not talking W5. I'm a W4 guy.
'Warm Weather = Working Weekends.'
It's a tried and true formula that does two things; one, it keeps me busier than a bartender on payday, and two, it really puts a spotlight on the diversity of my job in writing the news that's happening in this west central part of the province.
I mean, let's really think about this for a second. In much, much larger urban markets like Calgary or Vancouver, you'll have news rooms where people will typically have one role where they'll concentrate their efforts.
"Phil, you're The Sports Guy. Carl, you're The Politics Guy. Janet, you're The Business Gal."
If I had to throw a label on myself in this line of work, I'm not exactly lying or even stretching the truth a hair when I say I'd have to make myself the 'Everything Under the Damn Sun Guy'. Because that's what I cover and that's what I write about: *EVERYTHING* that's happening here in this part of our world that may make for an interesting or thought-provoking story.
Let me give you an example by providing you with my schedule for this weekend:
Tonight, I'm headed over to the Outlook rink to cover the Amateur Sports Awards Night, highlighting the best and brightest in kids sports in the community. Tomorrow night, I'm headed down south to the lakeside village of Elbow to watch, photograph and cover their dinner theatre production of 'Escape to Margaritaville'. And on Sunday, I'm headed to the Legion Hall in Outlook to witness a very special medal ceremony for the late Winton 'Bud' Hardy, who was killed in the Ukraine during the Russia conflict.
Essentially, my entire weekend is booked up, leaving with me the odd handful of hours or so to have to myself before another Monday morning arrives again and the cycle repeats itself.
The rest of April and even all the way into the end of May is filling up my calendar as well.
I do have to say this lifestyle makes for some unique perspectives and memories that I'll look back on from time to time. It also makes for great fodder for my upcoming book, a project in which I do have to apologize for the lack of progress or updates. Long story short: I announced it far too soon, and there's too much current content happening right now that I think will make for some interesting chapter entries. All I can really say on this front is stay tuned.
So then, why do I still do it after 18 years of giving up weekends and not taking any actual holidays for yourself?
Well, because I love it and it still challenges me to this day in its own unique ways. And apparently, some people actually think I'm not too bad at it, as I've been invited to go down to Dinsmore Composite School and take part in their Kids Convention, where I'll talk to students about my work and challenge them to write their own articles that we'll discuss.
I love my work and what my career allows me to do: look at the world from several steps back, analyzing what I'm seeing and what I'm hearing to form my own objective views on topics here and there. On certain topics, I don't commit myself to one concrete view and I don't involve myself in political discussions because I don't support any one party or candidate.
I watch my fellow people and report what I find. I've done so for 18 years and I've got a few awards under my belt, so I must be doing something right.
Anyhoo, I've got a sports night to get ready for.
For this week, that's been the Ruttle Report.
