Mammoth Career Decision

Yesterday was one of the hardest days I've had in many, many years!

In a matter of a few short minutes I accepted a job offer from the Globe and Mail Newspaper, and handed in my resignation to the Toronto Star. In a snap, the decision I had been losing sleep over had become a reality!

My emotions were all over the map. I was terrified, but very excited at the same time. But despite everything I was very confident that the long thought-out decision I had made was the right one for me, and my family at this time.

I've been at The Toronto Star for just under 17 years! I have made many dear friends and colleagues, and I am a better person for the considerations that people have shown me througout. I will miss them all, but the Globe isn't too far away, and I know that the bonds I have made will continue.

There are things I want, and need to say to my colleagues in the extremely talented photo department at The Star, and to my reporter friends that I have worked so closely with in every situation imaginable. But I think these are best said in person. They should all know that I cherish them all immensely, and I hope they will someday understand my choice, and wish me luck. I can only hope for them that they all continue to have success in their careers and personal lives.

The next two weeks will be very strange and difficult indeed as I complete my time at One Yonge. As always I wear my emotions on my sleeve, and already I have been on the edge of losing it several times. Saying good-bye will be difficult indeed.

On March 19th I will work my first shift at the Globe and Mail, and that is very exciting. Now that my decision is done, I am looking forward to working with a great new goup of photographers, editors, and writers. I'm sure that the friendships I have made already will grow, and new ones will be forged through new experiences. I'm looking forward to new challenges and opportunities to participate in some great journalism. I am confident that this next stage of my career will be as fullfilling and successful as the last 17 have been.

Hamilton Snowfall - Test Post

It looks like the weather in southern Ontario is on the verge of warming up again. After waiting, it seems for a long time for winter to arrive, we finally got a dumping of snow that folks in Hamilton will not soon forget.

Last Tuesday the snow started falling here - lake effect snow in Hamilton, coming off Lake Ontario - which doesn't freeze over in winter. By the afternoon on Tuesday I had already shovelled my driveway twice, and according to weather forecasters, the winter storm sysytem hadn't yet reached us!

By Wednesday morning we were in full winter storm mode, and before the storm would be over, forecasters would be reporting a total of 75cm of new snow in the Hamilton area.

Like many of my neighbors, I had to dig out my vehicle before being able to start work. Both of the cars in my drive were door-handle deep in snow, and nearly covered with the drifts. For three hours I shovelled, but took a break every hour or so to warm up, and to send some storm pictures (via FTP) to my office. My neighbor was surprised to learn that an image of her shovelling was on the front of thestar.com throughout most of the day, but she didn't mind.