Mark: Well, here we are again for another EnglishLingQ podcast. Mark Kaufmann here with Jill Soles. Are you still Soles?
Jill: Officially.
Mark: I dont know that I ever got the word on that.
Jill: Officially I am, yes. I havent changed my name.
Mark: Alright. We were just actually talking with we had a bit of a powwow in the middle of the day here in the office.
Jill: Friday afternoon.
Mark: Dont tell anyone, but talking about the company outing that were going to be having in August. We thought maybe that would be a good thing to talk about today; just what we do and why we do it. This year we are going to Vancouver Island. Maybe, Jill, you can explain where were going.
Jill: Okay. We are going to Vancouver Island which is a large island I think bigger than several European countries. Its quite large where there are just a lot of different resorts and different places for people to go and stay for the weekend or camp or whatever so were going to a nice oceanfront resort called Tigh-Na-Mara there. You take a ferry from Vancouver that takes about an hour and a half on the ferry to get to Vancouver Island. We are going to go to this resort where well have a game of golf; a round of golf. Its right at the beach so, you know, you can spend its a beach that when the tide is out it goes out about a kilometer.
Mark: It goes out a long way. Its a phenomenal beach for kids; whatever its called, Rathtrevor Beach. Its actually part of a provincial park I think. Its sandy and shallow so its great for kids. The water on a hot day gets quite warm and around here the ocean really never gets that warm so if you have a shallow beach where the water has a chance to heat up on a hot day its really nice. So, that is nice.
Jill: And its full of sand dollars.
Mark: Yeah.
Jill: There are sand dollars all over the beach that kids like to collect and clams as well.
Mark: Yeah, for sure. As the tide goes out all the clams and sand dollars and gooey ducks which are a kind of oyster all kind of I think people weve gone out digging for them before when weve been there, have we not?
Jill: Yeah.
Mark: Yeah, its fun. Its great there. I also want to mention that Vancouver Island isnt actually a resort island.
Jill: No.
Mark: I mean theres a lot of I guess more than anything, the forest industry is very big there. Its a big island but, obviously, heavily forested with beautiful coastlines and beautiful scenery. For that reason, a lot of people do go there on holiday.
Jill: Right and the capital city. The capital of British Columbia, the province that we live in is over there -- the Victoria. Our parliament buildings are over there so its not just a tourist destination, for sure.
Mark: But a lot of people do. I mean the ferry lineups to go over to Vancouver Island in the summertime on the weekends and the long weekends can be hours, for sure.
Jill: Yeah.
Mark: So, yeah, were looking forward to going and we were talking about what sorts of things we should be doing. Jill and I were pushing for a karaoke festival.
Jill: Accompanied by a little bit of alcohol just to get people a little bit loosened up.
Mark: You always need a little bit of alcohol when youre going to be karaoke or we should pronounce it properly for all our Japanese listeners karaoke. They wont know what were talking about. Yeah, its funny, speaking of karaoke, how popular it is in Japan and in Asia. Here it was kind of popular for a while and now you just dont see it as much I guess.
Jill: About five or ten years ago, I think, actually, several friends, several different groups of people I knew did go to karaoke bars in the lower mainland here in Vancouver quite often but I dont know. Youre right; I dont think its so common anymore. I think it was just kind of a fad; something that was cool for a few years and now its Mark: Which is really a shame. Jill: Oh yeah, such a shame! I miss those times.
Mark: But I think its fun especially after having spent time in Japan where you do it a lot. We did it a lot and its fun, its fun. Its fun especially when there are people that you know and, you know, none of us are professional singers so its good.
Jill: Yeah, so well probably have some karaoke and then I was also saying we should have a poker tournament or some poker games one night. There will be a lot of us and poker has become very popular.
Mark: Well, yeah, maybe its replaced karaoke.
Jill: Im okay with that.
Mark: Yeah.
Honestly though the poker thing, Im amazed at how popular it is. Like, no one used to play poker at all.
Jill: You turn on the TV and theres poker on TV all the time.
Mark: Yeah, you know, maybe guys would get together once a year and play a little poker. You know, yeah, I played it on the team bus or in the hotel. Wed play a little bit but now its on TV. Tournaments, prize money, people playing online and having friends over and playing poker; Im amazed. Like, its just a total craze.
Jill: Oh, we had a big poker game on Christmas night last year.
Mark: You did, eh, yeah?
Jill: Nine of us after Christmas dinner, we broke out the poker chips and had a poker game, so. Its really fun though.
Mark: I mean everybody plays now, yeah.
Jill: And its really, you know, Texas Holdem anyway, I think the most popular version or game of poker that people are playing nowadays, is really quite simple. I mean, I shouldnt say that because I know there is probably technique involved and skill and all of these different things but, you know, even if people dont really know what the hands are you can write it down. Everybody can have a piece of paper that tells them, you know, what hands are worth and you only have two cards in your hand, you know, so its really not that difficult for anybody to learn to play it.
Mark: Right and especially when you are sharing most of the same cards it kind of makes it a bit more social, I guess. You know, you kind of know what everybody is doing and you can see what people are trying to get or you guess at what they are trying to get.
Jill: Yeah, yeah, its fun.
Mark: Yeah, its fun. Yeah, as you say, Texas Holdem, all the big tournaments and on TV and whatever, thats the game that they are playing all the time, so thats the most popular game right now.
Jill: Yeah.
I dont know if maybe its become so popular because of Vegas and all the gambling but thats been around a long time, so I dont know if there is a correlation.
Mark: I have no idea why. I mean, partly, all the Internet gambling makes it easier, I guess, but that doesnt really explain why people are playing it more. I guess its a good social game that everyone can play together. Everyone can play and hats a big advantage.
Thats maybe why golf is so popular too. Pretty much, everyone can play golf. People arent prevented from playing because of their age or their size or their, yeah, their ability. Yeah, I mean, if you can walk and hold a golf club then you can at least get out there. Obviously, some people are going to be better golfers than others but you can be out there and trying and having a good time.
Jill: Or be like me and just walk around the course with the people that are playing golf and just enjoy the scenery and, you know, be their caddie.
Mark: Well, thats right and youre probably having a better time than they are because youre not frustrated.
Jill: Oh, for sure.
Mark: Yeah, no, I know and the poker is the same way, everyone can play and some people are better than others and theres a big luck factor involved and its fun.
Jill: Yeah, yeah, so, well see how that turns out. Hopefully, well get some games going.
Mark: Thats right.
We are talking it up that were going to make it try and liven it up a bit and just try and do more things sort of together where in the past at these outings people have tended to arrive and then disperse and kind of do their own thing Jill: with their family. Mark: with their family, yeah.
Jill: The point of this company retreat or outing is to be sort of a team-building thing. Thats the point, right?
Mark: Spend some time with your coworkers away from the office, right.
Jill: See them as real individuals.
Mark: Right.
Jill: Real people not just a coworker.
Mark: Yeah.
Jill: Yeah.
Mark: So, well see how that goes. Well give you a report later on.
Jill: After the August long weekend.
Mark: Thats right.