A sincere apology to Journal subscribers in Cache Creek and North Ashcroft, whose home delivery has been interrupted over the past few weeks. Our regular carrier retired at the end of December, his replacement broke her wrist, and finding someone to take over has been exceedingly difficult.
There have been numerous reports and stories about employers finding it difficult to get employees, and it seems that The Journal is not immune. Granted, it’s only a few hours one day a week, but there seems to be a dearth of people who would like to take on the position. Having delivered the paper myself on more than one occasion, I can say from experience that it’s a pleasant way to spend some time outside (especially now that the nicer weather is here), get a bit of exercise, meet some very nice people, and earn a little money.
Until the situation is resolved, Cache Creek home delivery subscribers will be receiving their Journal by mail (if you are a home delivery subscriber in Cache Creek and are not getting your paper by post, please call the office at (250) 453-2261). We have a temporary carrier for North Ashcroft, and this week home delivery subscribers there will be getting last week’s paper alongside this week’s on Thursday.
If you are, or know of, someone who would be interested in delivering the paper, please be in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
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The move to Daylight Saving Time has come and gone for another year: yes, that joyous weekend where you get reacquainted with all the clocks in your house, drop at least one of them, and stare at the alarm clock in confusion on Sunday morning, trying to remember whether or not you adjusted it the night before. “I’m pretty sure I would have remembered to, but I don’t recall changing it. Wait, isn’t it one of those ones that adjusts itself? Is that why I don’t remember changing it? Or am I thinking of the one in the kitchen?” You then leap out of bed in a panic, Google “What time is it in Vancouver?”, realize you did change it the night before, and then find that you’ve inadvertently got up an hour early.
Every year at this time there are renewed calls for the time change to be abolished (oddly, the move back to Standard Time in the fall causes barely a ripple). Experts talk about changes to our circadian rhythm and cite an increase in car accidents on the Monday following the time change, while you don’t have to go far to hear someone complaining about how they feel “sluggish” or “out of it” after setting the clocks ahead.
It makes me wonder how people cope with crossing the border into Alberta and immediately losing an hour, or travelling to a different time zone and losing several hours’-worth of time in one fell swoop. Plus there seems little benefit to B.C., or even Canada, deciding to ditch Daylight Saving Time unless the United States does so as well. One of the many reasons so many film and TV production companies based in Los Angeles like filming in B.C. is because we’re in the same time zone as California: if we make the switch and they don’t, that advantage is lost.
So I really don’t see what the big deal is about ditching DST. That said, I’m convinced Daylight Saving Time has cost me an hour out of my life. In March 2010 — after we had switched to DST in Canada — I travelled to Great Britain, where the clocks don’t go ahead until three weeks or so after ours do, and thus went through the switch and sprung ahead to DST again.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’ve been semi-convinced ever since that between that and the natural time difference between here and there, I’m out an hour. So when the Grim Reaper comes knocking, I will tell him firmly to come back in an hour. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s got to be worth a try.
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