We Interrupt This Blogcast...

Over the last two months, my life has taken a few dramatic turns. I've decided, thanks to these events, to re-evaluate where my chosen career path was leading me, and I've decided to embark on a new venture. No, this blog will continue because I love hockey and I really like you guys who are reading this. You make it fun, and the comments are always appreciated. But I have decided that I need to upgrade my skills in my chosen field, so I've changed my career path from being a dedicated salt mine employee to a semi-broke college student.

Now, I'm sure there will be some questions, and I'm here to answer those inquiries. I know that some of you will probably want more information, so I've decided to hold this faux press conference to answer a few questions. With that, I open the floor to made-up reporter names working for completely-fabricated news agencies.

John Smithson, The National Reporter: What does this mean for Hockey Blog In Canada? Will there be a reduction in posts? Will you bring aboard new staff?

Great question, John. I want to be clear: HBIC will not change for any reason in terms of how or when I post information. I am dedicated to this blog because I love the game of hockey, and I really appreciate the people who stop by here to read my daily insanity for the game.

There might be a few changes that you do see, though. I'm not looking for additional writers at this time, but I am open to guest posts at any time. Basically, if you want to write an occasional article, I'm very open to that concept. This is a blog of the people, by the people, for the people, and I want to keep that concept open.

The courses that I am taking, though, will allow me to work on some new stuff. I'm taking a few computer programming courses in Java, .Net, and other programming languages, so I may work on some new tools and cool stuff for this site on the side. I realize that this may change some stuff on the site, but I'll need people to test some of the new stuff I come up with in terms of programming. Having this outlet to the world will only help me produce better tools. I am very excited about this opportunity.

Bob Felton, USA Present: You do a lot of giveaways, and you run a playoff pool with a lot of prizes in it. Will your "semi-broke college student" status affect the giveaways and pool prizes?

I'll be honest: the giveaways and pool prizes are a result of some very generous people at companies that I respect and endorse. I've been very lucky to have the great people at Pepsi/Frito-Lay and a few publishing companies work with me for some incredible prizing, and I look forward to continue to bring to my readers the very best prizes possible.

That being said, I do spend some of my hard-earned cash on prizing, and I always offer to mail prizes to winners at my expense. I'm not saying that changes will happen because I am still working part-time with a new employer, but I may have to roll some of the prizing back if my budget demands it. While I realize that this isn't what readers want to hear, I'm a realist. And reality demands that school be given my top priority for both my attention and my finances.

Lesley Hamilton, Seattle Sun: Exactly what are you pursuing at school in terms of your degree, and how long are we talking before you receive your degree?

Officially, I have enrolled and been accepted into the Business Information Technology program at Red River College. From their website, the Business Information Technology program "is a two-year program that gives you a solid foundation in information technology in the first year before you enter one of the following second-year specialties". Those specialties include application development, database management, network management, and web development.

I haven't decided which specialty I'd like to pursue at this point. I'd like to keep my opportunities open in order to see which I am most passionate about, but I definitely see opportunities with each one for this site. There is also the opportunity that Red River College is pursuing with one of the major universities to have the credits transferred to a potential Computer Science degree once the two-year program is done. That sounds very appealing to me, but we'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I am looking towards starting my school career once again!

Jeff Smith, The Fairly Obvious: When do you start? Will you keep us updated?

Soon and yes. The program begins on January 4, 2011, so I only have a couple of weeks to prepare myself for school. But I feel that I will be ready. As for the updates, I will certainly let everyone know if and when I am working on a new tool or application that will be available for testing, and I'll give everyone updates when exams are happening so that you don't just think I'm mailing in a post when I'm actually mailing in a post.

Jack Whitten, The Dominion Traveler: How will this affect HBIC's travel plans to various events such as Uni Watch events or annual September road trips?

I haven't given it much thought, but my travel plans to new and wonderful destinations will obviously have to be reconsidered since school will demand a lot of attention and financial planning. Clearly, September is a school month, so that annual trip is most likely finished for some time.

As for any other trips, I can't say that I'll stop traveling completely, but I have to carefully track my expenses and keep a tight string on my budget if I want to partake in any of the Uni Watch events or any other road trips. Each of these trips will be examined on a case-by-case basis to determine the feasibility. I'd love to continue to travel, but school is certainly more important at this time.

So there's a little update as to what's been happening inside my personal life. I had been waiting on the acceptance letter for a few weeks, and it finally came today! I start, as stated above, on January 4, and I'm really looking forward to this new chapter in my life! I promise to keep everyone updated as best as I can, but HBIC will continue in the status quo until further notice!

And if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email! If you'd like to contribute a guest post at any time on a hockey subject, feel free to hit me up with an email as well!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!