Inuit Idol

Two days to go.

Despite the prolonged build up to my departure, and the fact that I'm writing this surrounded by boxes in various states of 'packed-ness', I still don't think it's really sunk in that in two days I'll be on a plane out of here for the very last time. At this stage of proceedings there are so many loose ends to tie up and last minute jobs to be done that there isn't really any time to think much further ahead than today.

James' party on Saturday was fun, and I've been invited next door for supper on Tuesday, so my adventure in Kangiqsujuaq will be ending just as it began. James and Sophie fed me on my very first day here back in August, and I shall miss their kindness and friendship when I leave. I'm also eating out tonight, as Roland is putting on a supper at the residence for the departing students, and it was earlier today that I gave my students their TOEFL results, the results that dictate whether or not they get to go to college.

I always feel like Simon Cowell at this stage of the year, the whole process reminding me of the conclusion to Hollywood Week on American Idol when the contestants are told whether they've made it onto the show or not. The students sit in our classroom and then, one by one, I call them into the room next door (which is fortunately vacant a lot of the time and was again today) to give them their results. Like Simon, I'm not one to sugar coat the truth if it's bad, and whilst I don't gain any personal pleasure out of doing it this way I don't think I'd being doing the students any favours if I did it any differently. If they get praise from Simon then they deserve it, and it's the same in my class.

As it was, my students did pretty well this year so there wasn't much disappointment floating around, but it's only now that their journey really begins. When they head south to college they'll no longer be the big fishes in a small pool, and like the contestants on Idol they're going to have to work hard to stay the course. Whether they manage to stick it out remains to be seen, but at least their fate is in their own hands, with no phone votes and no Ryan Seacrest to deal with.

Dim the lights...

Boyled over

Hot on the heels of Adam Lambert's shock defeat in the final of American Idol comes the news that Susan Boyle, she of a multi-million YouTube hits, has also failed to win the talent show that made her name. She was beaten in the final of Britain's Got Talent by a street dance group called Diversity, who now take away £100,000 (about $175,000) and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show in December.

I doubt whether this will be the end for Ms Boyle though, especially when one considers that the winners of shows like these often aren't the ones to go on and and have a meaningful career. Indeed, I saw Simon Cowell interviewed on Craig Ferguson's late night chat show this week, where he stated that he would be very interested in securing the movie rights to Susan Boyle's rise to fame, which would undoubtedly prove to be a very nice money spinner for both parties; in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Simon's already begun negotiations.

Which all leads to the question: who will play the part of Susan Boyle in such a movie, assuming that she doesn't play herself? As I've said before, I think that there's actually more than a passing resemblance between Simon and Susan, but I doubt whether Mr Cowell would be interested in taking the part as he wouldn't be able to wear any of his trademark skin-tight T-shirts.

So, who could it be? How about one of the following:

The Susan Boyle Story - what price on it being titled 'I Dreamed A Dream?' - coming soon to a cinema near you.

I can't wait.

Boyle-ing point

If you typed the name Susan Boyle into Google this time last week you probably wouldn't have had many hits; do it now and you get 2,750,000, a figure that, by the time you actually read this, will probably be higher still. It's also only just less than the number returned by typing in Simon Cowell, which is ironic in a way seeing as he is one of the judges on the show Britain's Got Talent, which is where Susan has made her name.

I'm not going to go on too much about her story - if you haven't already heard about her you can just watch the video clip on YouTube - but what seems more remarkable than her actual performance is the way in which her story has travelled around the world. Internet and reality show phenomena are ten-a-penny nowadays, and most fall by the wayside as quickly as they rose - where are you now, Tay Zonday - but Ms Boyle's performance seems to have gripped the world's imagination like few others. She has even been offered the ultimate accolade of a seat on Oprah's sofa; for the sofa's sake, I just hope that she and Oprah don't both choose to sit on it at the same time.

Whether Susan Boyle's fame will be permanent or fleeting only time will tell. I plump for the latter, but at least for the moment her 15 minutes don't look like running out any time soon. Indeed, since I started typing, she now has over 3,000,000 returns on Google and has overtaken Simon Cowell. Which leads me to my final observation of the day. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but think that there's more than a passing resemblance between Susan and Simon....

Take away a couple of chins, give her a short back and Cowell.....it's just me, isn't it?

And we're back...

After ten most relaxing days of vacation, I am now firmly ensconced back in the North and the blog is finally back online. I hadn't planned such a hiatus from my musings, but with irony of which Ms. Morissette could only dream, I was more busy on holiday than I usually am at work, so blogging ended up being put very much on the back burner.

It was great to see Melanie again, and she still has another week in Canada before she has to go back to the UK for the summer term at her school. She is going to use that week to draw up a list of chores for me, so that when I return home in May I will be suitably occupied until her school year ends in July, at which time she will be coming back out to Canada. Just how many of these chores can be left to the last minute I don't know yet, but I'm sure that I'll be able to work that out soon enough.

So, what were the highlights of my vacation, I hear you ask? Well, I managed to get the haircut I was looking forward to, rather a good one I thought as well, but both Dave and Celine have commented that I must have gone to the same barber as Simon Cowell. Now, I happen to like Simon Cowell so I will take this as a huge compliment, but I don't know if that's what was intended! Alongside the long-awaited haircut I was also able to enjoy my long-awaited return to Tim Horton's - three visits on the first day back alone - and I managed to win three coffees and a donut by rolling up the rim, which is a very good return, given my track record of (not) winning things. I did win a Jimmy Hill football trivia book once on a Radio Bristol phone-in quiz, but that's about it. I wonder how many donuts you could fit on Jimmy Hill's chin...

But I digest.

It was also mighty fine to catch up with friends over the course of the last week, and the normal southern staples of fast internet - yes, Cogeco did finally reconnect us - and being able to drive felt like refreshing novelties. It was also very pleasant to be able to see trees and grass again; I had forgotten what the colour green looked like. One sad happening during the week was the broadcast of the final ever episode of Corner Gas. I admire Brent Butt's decision to end the show whilst it was still at the height of its popularity, but I wish he hadn't made it! Maybe a trip to Dog River will be in order during the summer...

Not long after watching Corner Gas on Monday I had to leave in order to start my journey north, and on Tuesday afternoon I found myself back in Inukjuak, which is still cold and white, but not quite as cold as when I left. My flight was uneventful, although I was treated to a full body search as I passed through security in Montreal. The officer even searched my hair - I kid you not - but unsurprisingly found nothing; maybe he just wanted to admire the fine craftsmanship of my haircut at close quarters. I wonder if Simon Cowell has to go through all this when he flies? Bet he doesn't.