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Sudbury, Ontario: A Beginner's Guide to the Nickel City

/ andyveilleux / 3 Comments

I often hear complaints about there being "nothing to do in Sudbury." After becoming connected to some great individuals and organizations over the past few months, I'd like to take the time to highlight a few of them. For a great general resource on what to do in Sudbury, try checking out My Sudbury. If you're looking to keep up with the news in this city, I highly recommend joining the Sudbury Press Club's Facebook group. Links are posted frequently, and it serves as an aggregator of important news stories in the city. It is also an avenue for discussion on local topics.

Sudbury is filled with many great restaurants, and I want to take the time to highlight a few of the local ones. My personal favourites are Bella Vita Cucina, Respect is Burning, and Eddie's Restaurant. I recommend trying these three, because they showcase some of the variety available when dining in Sudbury.

After dining out, there is also plenty of entertainment available. If you fancy a chill place to have a drink, and also eat some great food (you'll be hungry again at some point!) I strongly recommend the Laughing Buddha, which offers both. The Buddha (as we refer to it) is currently featuring some great art by Sudbury's (and Cambrian's) Tennille Heinonen, who is a phenomenal artist. If you're looking for great music, I strongly recommend the Townehouse, which features great talent every night!

Speaking of music and art, I want to draw your attention to someone who is deeply devoted to both in this community. Frank Chartrand is a graphic designer by day who, along with Nico Taus, successfully runs Bureau Group. These guys are extremely talented, and local. They are also incredibly involved in the local music community, and their hardcore/punk/experimental band, Vicious Cycle, just completed a month-long tour of Europe! Aside from playing in the band, Frank also promotes several local acts, and puts on shows throughout the community. If you're looking for local shows, I encourage you to contact Frank through his Facebook (linked above), as he broadcasts local shows though that.

In terms of education in this community, we have some great institutions that are worth looking into. Having spent time at two of the three major post-secondary education institutions in this city, I can vouch for them first-hand. Those looking for information on Cambrian College (which I attended this past year) and College Boreal are encouraged to do so through my links. I want to take the time to discuss Laurentian University (which I attended for four years) in a bit more length. Laurentian's President, Dominic Giroux, is a man who is very in-touch with the community. He focuses more on Laurentian specifically, but with Laurentian being such an important part of our community, it is worth reading his blog. Laurentian often hosts interesting speakers, and wonderful events, and it is worth keeping tabs on what is going on at the University.

If you're reading this, and you're interested in sports, you're also quite fortunate. Although I am not familiar with every sport being played in this city (sorry folks, I try my best!), you should check out Randy Pascal, who runs the website Sudburysports. His extensive coverage will help you identify which sports are being played in this city, and hopefully help you join your sport of interest. I specialize in soccer in this city, and ball hockey. For soccer, I recommend looking into the Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League during the summer months (full disclosure: I sit on the executive as a Director-at-Large), and the S.C.C. Sudbury Indoor Soccer Club during the winter. For ball hockey, I recommend looking into the Sudbury Ball Hockey League (full disclosure: I am the Director of many things with this league).

If you're looking to get involved in the community, there are numerous opportunities to do so. I want to take the time to highlight a few organizations that will help you get involved in the community, for many of my friend that have the desire, but may not now how, to get involved. First off, there is Green Sudbury. Green Sudbury is an organization that is focused on improving Sudbury at a very grass-roots level (quite literally). They focus on environmental issues, and other issues of advocacy for the community. They also help promote local events.

 

Volunteer Sudbury is another group that is doing great work in this city. They are also always looking for volunteers. They help volunteers find meaningful volunteer work, and also help events find volunteers. Anyone who is looking for a place to start volunteering in this community is encouraged to contact either one of these organizations.

In closing, I want to make a few general comments about our community. My current job, as the Community Development Officer for the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, has me focused extensively on our community in the last couple weeks. It has been an eye-opening experience. Not only are there several businesses around the city that are looking to help improve the community, but there are tonnes of volunteers looking to do the same. The amount of passion some of these people show in improving their community, is in a word, heroic. They're not doing all of these great things because it will lead to wealth. They're doing it, because they care. I hope their integrity will spread throughout the community, and light a fire of passion and empathy in Sudbury! That being said, I strongly encourage everybody to get involved and help shape our community for the better.

Sudbury, Ontario: A Beginner's Guide to the Nickel City

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

I often hear complaints about there being "nothing to do in Sudbury." After becoming connected to some great individuals and organizations over the past few months, I'd like to take the time to highlight a few of them. For a great general resource on what to do in Sudbury, try checking out My Sudbury. If you're looking to keep up with the news in this city, I highly recommend joining the Sudbury Press Club's Facebook group. Links are posted frequently, and it serves as an aggregator of important news stories in the city. It is also an avenue for discussion on local topics.

Sudbury is filled with many great restaurants, and I want to take the time to highlight a few of the local ones. My personal favourites are Bella Vita Cucina, Respect is Burning, and Eddie's Restaurant. I recommend trying these three, because they showcase some of the variety available when dining in Sudbury.

After dining out, there is also plenty of entertainment available. If you fancy a chill place to have a drink, and also eat some great food (you'll be hungry again at some point!) I strongly recommend the Laughing Buddha, which offers both. The Buddha (as we refer to it) is currently featuring some great art by Sudbury's (and Cambrian's) Tennille Heinonen, who is a phenomenal artist. If you're looking for great music, I strongly recommend the Townehouse, which features great talent every night!

Speaking of music and art, I want to draw your attention to someone who is deeply devoted to both in this community. Frank Chartrand is a graphic designer by day who, along with Nico Taus, successfully runs Bureau Group. These guys are extremely talented, and local. They are also incredibly involved in the local music community, and their hardcore/punk/experimental band, Vicious Cycle, just completed a month-long tour of Europe! Aside from playing in the band, Frank also promotes several local acts, and puts on shows throughout the community. If you're looking for local shows, I encourage you to contact Frank through his Facebook (linked above), as he broadcasts local shows though that.

In terms of education in this community, we have some great institutions that are worth looking into. Having spent time at two of the three major post-secondary education institutions in this city, I can vouch for them first-hand. Those looking for information on Cambrian College (which I attended this past year) and College Boreal are encouraged to do so through my links. I want to take the time to discuss Laurentian University (which I attended for four years) in a bit more length. Laurentian's President, Dominic Giroux, is a man who is very in-touch with the community. He focuses more on Laurentian specifically, but with Laurentian being such an important part of our community, it is worth reading his blog. Laurentian often hosts interesting speakers, and wonderful events, and it is worth keeping tabs on what is going on at the University.

If you're reading this, and you're interested in sports, you're also quite fortunate. Although I am not familiar with every sport being played in this city (sorry folks, I try my best!), you should check out Randy Pascal, who runs the website Sudburysports. His extensive coverage will help you identify which sports are being played in this city, and hopefully help you join your sport of interest. I specialize in soccer in this city, and ball hockey. For soccer, I recommend looking into the Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League during the summer months (full disclosure: I sit on the executive as a Director-at-Large), and the S.C.C. Sudbury Indoor Soccer Club during the winter. For ball hockey, I recommend looking into the Sudbury Ball Hockey League (full disclosure: I am the Director of many things with this league).

If you're looking to get involved in the community, there are numerous opportunities to do so. I want to take the time to highlight a few organizations that will help you get involved in the community, for many of my friend that have the desire, but may not now how, to get involved. First off, there is Green Sudbury. Green Sudbury is an organization that is focused on improving Sudbury at a very grass-roots level (quite literally). They focus on environmental issues, and other issues of advocacy for the community. They also help promote local events.

 

Volunteer Sudbury is another group that is doing great work in this city. They are also always looking for volunteers. They help volunteers find meaningful volunteer work, and also help events find volunteers. Anyone who is looking for a place to start volunteering in this community is encouraged to contact either one of these organizations.

In closing, I want to make a few general comments about our community. My current job, as the Community Development Officer for the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, has me focused extensively on our community in the last couple weeks. It has been an eye-opening experience. Not only are there several businesses around the city that are looking to help improve the community, but there are tonnes of volunteers looking to do the same. The amount of passion some of these people show in improving their community, is in a word, heroic. They're not doing all of these great things because it will lead to wealth. They're doing it, because they care. I hope their integrity will spread throughout the community, and light a fire of passion and empathy in Sudbury! That being said, I strongly encourage everybody to get involved and help shape our community for the better.

Am I taking on too much?

/ andyveilleux / 3 Comments

I’ve begun to feel a bit worn-out lately, and I’ve begun to wonder whether I’ve taken on more than I can handle.
My close friends will probably answer with a resounding “yes!” but I wanted to put the question out to all of you. First, I’ll explain what a typical week, ranging from Monday to Sunday, is like for me (I’ll use this week, because it’s fresh in my mind, obviously).
This Monday I worked from 8:30-5 at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, finished the stats for the Sudbury Ball Hockey League (sudburyballhockey.wordpress.com), went out for a coffee and long talk with a good friend, met up with some friends for pool, and then had a great few-hours-long conversation with Chris Auger.
On Tuesday I worked 8:30-5, went to a staff dinner which lasted until about 8, then met up briefly with a friend to donate a pledge for her walk.
Wednesday I worked 8:30-5, and then assistant coached my u-11 team’s soccer game.
Thursday I worked 8:30-5, met with the head coach of the u-11 team (Jamil Malakieh) to get the team’s practice equipment, watched most of a SRCSL u-15 soccer game, and played a soccer scrimmage with my men’s team.
Friday I will be working 8:30-4:30, also 5-8, signing a new player for the u-11 team, and helping some of my friends register for Laurentian University courses (Hi Brendan and MJ!).
Saturday I work 10-5,
Sunday I coach the u-11 team from 1 until 3, convene/score-keep for the SBHL from 3-7:30 (and hopefully play a game while I’m there for once), and probably work on some stats for the league when I get home.
It’s impossible to write down all the little errands (such as signing players, organizing practice, tallying stats, emailing people, etc) that I can think of for the week, but they add up to be fairly time-consuming.
I tried to stay in behind-the-scenes, minimal-amount-of-work roles lately, but they seem to keep developing into more. I wanted to make a website for the SBHL, now I’m basically the vice-president (thankfully Brandon is a great President, and is doing a lot of work! [more than I am]). I have refereed games, time-kept games, and convened for the league when I wasn’t in one of those roles. I wanted to just be a player for soccer this summer, now I’m assistant coach and organizing our team’s only tournament of the summer. I wanted to help the u-11 team practice occasionally, and now I’m with them all the time, and will be head coach for the next week or so.
So that’s my life ladies and gentlemen, What do you think?
Last night at the scrimmage, while explaining how the linesman of the u-15 game was also the President of the SRCSL (Mr. Tony Nuziale), I was asked an interesting question. A teammate said, “you’re involved in a lot, why do you bother?” I explained that I liked giving back to the community, without trying to make him feel bad because he wasn’t (at least not in terms of volunteering). The answer didn’t resonate with me like it usually did. Usually when I’m asked about my volunteerism, I feel a great sense of pride in my response, but this time felt different.
I’ve heard a lot of reasons for volunteering, and felt a lot of different ones myself. They range from the typical ‘giving back to the community,’ helping one’s kids, padding a resumé, trying to win scholarships/awards, the sense of satisfaction it brings, boredom, and even the hope that it will eventually result in some form of monetary gain.
My reasons tend to border more on the selfless than the selfish, though I won’t deny there’s always a bit of both present I think.
Last night at the scrimmage I didn’t feel right. I was worn out for it; my body was killing me, my mind wasn’t focused. These days happen for all athletes, but they happen for me more often these days. To be honest, I haven’t had the pre-season performance I’ve wanted to. Last night was the warning sign that I’m beginning to break down a little, and maybe I have taken on too much.
As it goes with most important things on one’s life, my mother pointed it out to me. I was eating after the scrimmage, and watching the news with her. “You’re doing too much,” she said. “I know, but nobody else will do these things if I don’t,” I replied.
Is that a good enough reason to burn myself out? Please leave a comment and let me know what you think, I’m anxious to hear what you all have to say.

Every few days someone says they miss me

/ andyveilleux / Leave a comment

I woke up in your mental hospital,
Where escaping was misson impossible,
and yeah, I took that hit to the chin,
because I was caught, too busy staring,
at your beautiful headlights,
which were guilty of sparking fist fights,
on random drunken bar nights,
started by uncoordinated drunks, the anti-termites.

I dodge their punches, and your worst moments,
shrugging you off like you were a tiny dancer,
weaving around your lies just like Prancer,
wishing for once you had a straight answer.

I float like a butterfly, and sting like my knee,
scrapped to the bone by the hood of your car,
that ripped me open and sent me so far,
I landed in nevernever land,
where Pepsi and Coke held hands,
along with the other brands,
that feed you black death juice,
an attempt to cook your goose.

The advertisers hated it,
they waited for evisceration,
due to this strange nation,
that was far too content with life,
to worry about content with strife,
or about getting my own life,
rather than just living yours,
through your eyes, vicariously,
as I wander around, precariously,
and nothing falls into place.

You used to have such a beautiful face,
I used to picture it covered in white lace,
I truly believed our love was timeless,
then your demons took over, making you mindless,
your passion died, you were robbed of kindness.

That’s the way love goes,
south and down the drain,
surrounded by some real pathetic fallacy,
thunder storms and rain,
love cheques reverted back to entry-level salary,
all pain and no gain,
thats not the way its supposed to go,
I know life’s a winding road,
and you do what you’re told,
by the media and strange personalities,
they’re flipping out and losing calories,
too busy arguing amongst themselves,
their lies peddled for truth, flying off shelves,

I know pleasure’s supposed to come with pain,
but sometimes I feel life is all rain.

Badgers!?

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I recently came across an article in Ney York Magazine that made me do a double take. It was about Badgers being their new favourite animal. I was curious, why a badger? I have seen the catchy ‘badger, badger, badger’ flash video/song, but it turns out it was completely unrelated! Check out the York York mag article, and the associated link to a hilarious story from the associated press about badgers.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/07/badger.html?mid=daily-intel–20090709

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i9a013U8U1EbEBcrlAf0115R6doQ