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~slicken
Hello! I am Canadian and interested in writing short stories. I live in Alberta. I am currently working in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry.
I am also an Urban Cowboy. Hotel worker by day, and fun loving at bar night. I wear western clothes (when not on duty) and have two nice western hats.
I like classic cars, and will talk about mostly the 1970s and 80s when it comes to films, music and cars.
Living in Alberta does come with its quirks and being a Native Ontarian, does mean I had to adapt to some things.
I also love Rough Collie dogs and would like to get one when I can.
I also have two role models from the world of politics. Both were Premiers of Alberta. Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein. Both men made Alberta into what it is today and I highly recommend looking up some of the quotes Ralph Klein has said. In fact one of his quotes is my favorite quote that you can see in my profile desc.
“Rocky Mountains and black fertile ground, everything I need beneath that big blue sky, doesn’t matter where I go this place will always be my home, I’ve been Alberta bound for all my life and I’ll be Alberta bound until I die”- Paul Brandt, Canadian Country singer
“I'd like to grow a wild rose and stow it in that prairie sage
Like a message in a bottle floating down the open plains
Where the Cypress Hills rise up to meet the sky
I ain't crying, that's South Alberta in my eye
I've seen the thunderheads descend and rip into the ground
The twisted hand of heaven spreading terror all around
Sending farmers into deeper debt and ranchers to the grave
Where towers mark the end of time with slowly spinning blades
'Til the water table falls below the reach of humankind
I ain't crying, that's South Alberta in my eye”- Modified version of The Panhandlers song, “West Texas In My Eye” as made popular from the show, Yellowstone.
I am also an Urban Cowboy. Hotel worker by day, and fun loving at bar night. I wear western clothes (when not on duty) and have two nice western hats.
I like classic cars, and will talk about mostly the 1970s and 80s when it comes to films, music and cars.
Living in Alberta does come with its quirks and being a Native Ontarian, does mean I had to adapt to some things.
I also love Rough Collie dogs and would like to get one when I can.
I also have two role models from the world of politics. Both were Premiers of Alberta. Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein. Both men made Alberta into what it is today and I highly recommend looking up some of the quotes Ralph Klein has said. In fact one of his quotes is my favorite quote that you can see in my profile desc.
“Rocky Mountains and black fertile ground, everything I need beneath that big blue sky, doesn’t matter where I go this place will always be my home, I’ve been Alberta bound for all my life and I’ll be Alberta bound until I die”- Paul Brandt, Canadian Country singer
“I'd like to grow a wild rose and stow it in that prairie sage
Like a message in a bottle floating down the open plains
Where the Cypress Hills rise up to meet the sky
I ain't crying, that's South Alberta in my eye
I've seen the thunderheads descend and rip into the ground
The twisted hand of heaven spreading terror all around
Sending farmers into deeper debt and ranchers to the grave
Where towers mark the end of time with slowly spinning blades
'Til the water table falls below the reach of humankind
I ain't crying, that's South Alberta in my eye”- Modified version of The Panhandlers song, “West Texas In My Eye” as made popular from the show, Yellowstone.
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Story Series Compendium
a year ago
I have thought about writing a series of story stories that may or may not be inter connected somehow.
I would like to call my series, Boomtown, Alberta. They are generally centred around the Athabasca Oil Sands and the city of Fort McMurray.
They focus on unique characters in a world that I have created is semi-fictional and is a world where humans and dogs coexist. Dogs in this world are known as “Canis Lupus Erectus” since they are humanoid and are similar to humans.
In this world, dogs and humans share similar DNA so that if a male human and female dog or vice versa get into a relationship, it is a 50/50 chance that the child born from this love is a human or a dog belonging to the breed that the parent dog is.
This here is just a compendium filled with information to give some context behind the world, locations, characters and vehicles used. It is an interesting world and hope that you are interested in it.
It should be noted that as I keep working on it, check back from time to time to see the compendium get expanded as I add more to it.
Locations- Towns and places in the world.
Oil Sands- The Athabasca Oil Sands. It is home to some of the most purest and finest oil in the world and requires special extraction in order to get the oil. The Oil Sands is also one of the major economic sectors in Alberta alongside Agriculture and Tourism (irl, I work in the tourism industry)
Fort McMurray- Aka, Fort Mac, Fort McMoney, the big Boomtown, Boomtown, Alberta (hence the name of the series being called that). Fort McMurray interestingly is actually several miles south of where the refineries and drilling sites are. As of 2023, the population of Fort McMurray is 72,000, not counting the transitory workers who live at lodging facilities doting the Oil Sands. Not everyone who lives in Fort McMurray work in the Oil Sands. Some work in service, retail, administration and education. While some work in less reputable professions.
Edmonton- Capital of Alberta, Edmonton, or more appropriately, Dedmonton (don’t flame me plz but the Flames are better and Calgary is a nicer city and should have been the capital but these are just my personal thoughts, no hard feelings for those who live in Edmonton) is where the Premier of Alberta resides, and where the Oilers play. When hockey season begins and the Battle of Alberta occurs, don’t be surprised when things get heated. A man with a rather colourful personality called Edmonton “A fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes. At least you can spray the mosquitoes though.”
Wetaskiwin (pronounced WA-TAS-KA-WIN)- A small city that is 70 kilometres south of Edmonton, it takes around 57 minutes to get to Edmonton, 30 to Camrose, and 1 hour to Red Deer. Wetaskiwin and Camrose are where some characters reside and live in outside of when they work in the Oil Sands.
Camrose- A city of about 20,000. Camrose is home to the Camrose Regional Exhibition Grounds which hosts a few rodeos throughout the year. Some characters live in Camrose when not on duty in the Oil Sands due to Camrose being affordable.
Lac La Biche (pronounced LAK-LA-BISH)- A small town in Northern Alberta, it is almost three hours away from Fort McMurray. Most who go up to Fort McMurray, tend to stop in at Lac La Biche as a waystation.
Highway 63- Not a town, but the only highway into and out of Fort McMurray. Affectionately dubbed, "The Highway of Death" due to the number of accidents and deaths that occur on the road, don't let the grisly name deter you if you really want to make some good money, just be careful on the highway.
Vehicles- Cars, Trucks and SUVs
Chevy Tahoe- A personal favorite of mine, Chevy Tahoes are a full sized SUV and are well suited for conditions in Alberta. Tahoes are used by the RCMP and are a great vehicle for families. Some characters use Tahoes to get around.
Chevy Silverado- A pickup truck, the Silverado is a relatively common vehicle found in Alberta be it on a ranch, in a small town or on the Oil Sands, Silverados are a vehicle of choice by people who live in rural and semi urban areas.
Dodge Durango- Another favorite of mine, Durangos are also a full sized SUV comparative to a Tahoe. Durangos are a good alternative to a Tahoe and a new Durango is about $10,000 less than a Tahoe.
Recommended Reading, Music and Film
Books- Fiction and Non-Fiction about Fort McMurray
The Patch by Chris Turner- A great book that offers insight into the history, people, pipelines and politics of the Oil Sands. I also used the book as a resource for writing material about my fictionalized version of Fort McMurray and the Oil Sands
Bittersweet Sands: Twenty-Four Days in Fort McMurray by Rick Ranson- Want to see what a 24 day shift during a shutdown looks like? Well, this book is one and also has an interesting take on what goes on during a shutdown in Fort McMurray. The prologue ends with this line: "Going to McMurray. Going to a shutdown."
Who by Fire by Fred Stenson- Parts of the story take place in the present (2014 when the book was written) and are on a drill site north of Fort McMurray at the fictional Waddens Lake site in the Athabasca Oil Sands. The other parts take place in the 1960s when a Sulphur plant opens near the protagonist's childhood home farm and causes dire affects on the young boy.
Inside The Inferno by Damian Asher- On May 3, 2016, what started out as a normal day, would turn into one of the most costliest and largest evacuations in Canadian History. On that day, MWF-009, later known as "The Beast", burned into Fort McMurray. This book is written by a Fort McMurray Firefighter and offers insight into what happened on that chaotic day. Execellent book and interesting for those who want to learn about the Fort McMurray fire of 2016.
Into The Fire: Fight to Save Fort McMurray by Jerron Hawley, Graham Hurley and Steve Sackett- Complete with pictures and accounts by the three authors (who also were Fort McMurray Firefighters) details through recollection and pictures a timeline over the course of five days from May 3rd when the fire first crossed into Fort McMurray, to May 8th, when The Beast finally left the Fort McMurray area. Note: The Beast continued to burn until August 2nd, 2017, well over a year later when it was finally extingushed.
Music- Songs that directly or indirectly reference Fort McMurray or the Oil Sands
The Idiot by Stan Rogers (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMfwxWA14zo) - Tells the story of someone who's town on the East Coast becomes part of the Rust Belt. Instead of going on the dole (welfare) he decides to take up a job working in a refinery in Alberta (could be the Oil Sands or it might be one of the other refineries that dot the Alberta landscape). That is what makes him an idiot as instead of getting some easy money, he decides to choose the western life and get the money from hard work. (Note: Stan Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter who died on Air Canada Flight 797 in 1983. Some of his others songs include "The House of Orange" refering to the Troubles in Northern Ireland at the time, and "Northwest Passage" which details the account of several famous explorers who tried to find the non existent "northwest passage" to the Pacific through the Canadian Arctic)
We Are Alberta by Dustin Farr (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkgS5HfvATw) - Talks about Alberta and how we "Run on oil and we run on beef". The song indirectly references Fort McMurray with the line "You can burn this place to the ground, give us the ol’ one two
We’ll build it all up again cause that’s just what we do" with reference to the Fort McMurray Wildfire
I would like to call my series, Boomtown, Alberta. They are generally centred around the Athabasca Oil Sands and the city of Fort McMurray.
They focus on unique characters in a world that I have created is semi-fictional and is a world where humans and dogs coexist. Dogs in this world are known as “Canis Lupus Erectus” since they are humanoid and are similar to humans.
In this world, dogs and humans share similar DNA so that if a male human and female dog or vice versa get into a relationship, it is a 50/50 chance that the child born from this love is a human or a dog belonging to the breed that the parent dog is.
This here is just a compendium filled with information to give some context behind the world, locations, characters and vehicles used. It is an interesting world and hope that you are interested in it.
It should be noted that as I keep working on it, check back from time to time to see the compendium get expanded as I add more to it.
Locations- Towns and places in the world.
Oil Sands- The Athabasca Oil Sands. It is home to some of the most purest and finest oil in the world and requires special extraction in order to get the oil. The Oil Sands is also one of the major economic sectors in Alberta alongside Agriculture and Tourism (irl, I work in the tourism industry)
Fort McMurray- Aka, Fort Mac, Fort McMoney, the big Boomtown, Boomtown, Alberta (hence the name of the series being called that). Fort McMurray interestingly is actually several miles south of where the refineries and drilling sites are. As of 2023, the population of Fort McMurray is 72,000, not counting the transitory workers who live at lodging facilities doting the Oil Sands. Not everyone who lives in Fort McMurray work in the Oil Sands. Some work in service, retail, administration and education. While some work in less reputable professions.
Edmonton- Capital of Alberta, Edmonton, or more appropriately, Dedmonton (don’t flame me plz but the Flames are better and Calgary is a nicer city and should have been the capital but these are just my personal thoughts, no hard feelings for those who live in Edmonton) is where the Premier of Alberta resides, and where the Oilers play. When hockey season begins and the Battle of Alberta occurs, don’t be surprised when things get heated. A man with a rather colourful personality called Edmonton “A fine city with too many socialists and mosquitoes. At least you can spray the mosquitoes though.”
Wetaskiwin (pronounced WA-TAS-KA-WIN)- A small city that is 70 kilometres south of Edmonton, it takes around 57 minutes to get to Edmonton, 30 to Camrose, and 1 hour to Red Deer. Wetaskiwin and Camrose are where some characters reside and live in outside of when they work in the Oil Sands.
Camrose- A city of about 20,000. Camrose is home to the Camrose Regional Exhibition Grounds which hosts a few rodeos throughout the year. Some characters live in Camrose when not on duty in the Oil Sands due to Camrose being affordable.
Lac La Biche (pronounced LAK-LA-BISH)- A small town in Northern Alberta, it is almost three hours away from Fort McMurray. Most who go up to Fort McMurray, tend to stop in at Lac La Biche as a waystation.
Highway 63- Not a town, but the only highway into and out of Fort McMurray. Affectionately dubbed, "The Highway of Death" due to the number of accidents and deaths that occur on the road, don't let the grisly name deter you if you really want to make some good money, just be careful on the highway.
Vehicles- Cars, Trucks and SUVs
Chevy Tahoe- A personal favorite of mine, Chevy Tahoes are a full sized SUV and are well suited for conditions in Alberta. Tahoes are used by the RCMP and are a great vehicle for families. Some characters use Tahoes to get around.
Chevy Silverado- A pickup truck, the Silverado is a relatively common vehicle found in Alberta be it on a ranch, in a small town or on the Oil Sands, Silverados are a vehicle of choice by people who live in rural and semi urban areas.
Dodge Durango- Another favorite of mine, Durangos are also a full sized SUV comparative to a Tahoe. Durangos are a good alternative to a Tahoe and a new Durango is about $10,000 less than a Tahoe.
Recommended Reading, Music and Film
Books- Fiction and Non-Fiction about Fort McMurray
The Patch by Chris Turner- A great book that offers insight into the history, people, pipelines and politics of the Oil Sands. I also used the book as a resource for writing material about my fictionalized version of Fort McMurray and the Oil Sands
Bittersweet Sands: Twenty-Four Days in Fort McMurray by Rick Ranson- Want to see what a 24 day shift during a shutdown looks like? Well, this book is one and also has an interesting take on what goes on during a shutdown in Fort McMurray. The prologue ends with this line: "Going to McMurray. Going to a shutdown."
Who by Fire by Fred Stenson- Parts of the story take place in the present (2014 when the book was written) and are on a drill site north of Fort McMurray at the fictional Waddens Lake site in the Athabasca Oil Sands. The other parts take place in the 1960s when a Sulphur plant opens near the protagonist's childhood home farm and causes dire affects on the young boy.
Inside The Inferno by Damian Asher- On May 3, 2016, what started out as a normal day, would turn into one of the most costliest and largest evacuations in Canadian History. On that day, MWF-009, later known as "The Beast", burned into Fort McMurray. This book is written by a Fort McMurray Firefighter and offers insight into what happened on that chaotic day. Execellent book and interesting for those who want to learn about the Fort McMurray fire of 2016.
Into The Fire: Fight to Save Fort McMurray by Jerron Hawley, Graham Hurley and Steve Sackett- Complete with pictures and accounts by the three authors (who also were Fort McMurray Firefighters) details through recollection and pictures a timeline over the course of five days from May 3rd when the fire first crossed into Fort McMurray, to May 8th, when The Beast finally left the Fort McMurray area. Note: The Beast continued to burn until August 2nd, 2017, well over a year later when it was finally extingushed.
Music- Songs that directly or indirectly reference Fort McMurray or the Oil Sands
The Idiot by Stan Rogers (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMfwxWA14zo) - Tells the story of someone who's town on the East Coast becomes part of the Rust Belt. Instead of going on the dole (welfare) he decides to take up a job working in a refinery in Alberta (could be the Oil Sands or it might be one of the other refineries that dot the Alberta landscape). That is what makes him an idiot as instead of getting some easy money, he decides to choose the western life and get the money from hard work. (Note: Stan Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter who died on Air Canada Flight 797 in 1983. Some of his others songs include "The House of Orange" refering to the Troubles in Northern Ireland at the time, and "Northwest Passage" which details the account of several famous explorers who tried to find the non existent "northwest passage" to the Pacific through the Canadian Arctic)
We Are Alberta by Dustin Farr (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkgS5HfvATw) - Talks about Alberta and how we "Run on oil and we run on beef". The song indirectly references Fort McMurray with the line "You can burn this place to the ground, give us the ol’ one two
We’ll build it all up again cause that’s just what we do" with reference to the Fort McMurray Wildfire
User Profile
Accepting Trades
No Accepting Commissions
No Favorite Music
Classic Country, Classic Rock, Soft Rock, Jazz, Rock & Roll
Favorite TV Shows & Movies
Twister, The Pink Panther, Lassie, Oliver and Company, All Dogs Go To Heaven, Balto
Favorite Games
GTA V, Fallout Series, Bioshock, Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2, Mafia series
Favorite Gaming Platforms
Playstation 4, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox Series X, Computer
Favorite Animals
Rough Collies, Shelties, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Bernese Mountain Dogs ( working dogs)
Favorite Site
www.travelalberta.com
Favorite Quote
“I don’t need this crap”- Ralph Klein, 12th Premier of Alberta
TomX_PL