• Skip to main content

Podcast House

we podcast here

  • Podcasts
    • My Friend Ted
    • The 20 Minute Walk
    • Ouimet Presents
    • Invisible Women
    • Titans as Teens
    • Yellow Jack
      • Be a Guest on the Yellow Jack Podcast
    • Pocket Girl Podcast
    • Subscribe
  • About
  • Podcast Consulting
  • Contact

Transcript

AI Transcription and COVID-19

April 5, 2020 by Robert Leave a Comment

photo of 2 signs, one says "proceed with quation" the other says "stop"

We’ve been adding transcriptions of our Yellow Jack podcast episodes as a service to people who need or want a transcription. We use a company called Trint for our transcriptions. They use artificial intelligence to create a transcription from an audio file.

It isn’t perfect.

But it is surprisingly good considering the AI has to try to understand different speakers, different quality of audio, and myriad other nuances in the recordings. So the transcripts do contains errors – they are far from word perfect. We do edit the transcriptions to fix obvious issues, but some of the errors do still sneak past us.

One of the words that comes up a lot, obviously, is COVID-19. And for whatever reason, the Trint AI just doesn’t get it. In fact, it never gets it.

I say COVID-19, You Say….

Trint always misunderstands the words COVID-19. It doesn’t seem to matter who is speaking, whether it’s studio quality audio or a a phone line, man or woman, it makes no difference.

It’s not like Trint transcribes COVID-19 as some other word. It actually transcribes it as various other words. For example, if the voice over includes COVID-19 a few times, it will replace it with a few different words.

It’s getting to be quite hilarious. Here’s what it came up with when COVID-19 was mentioned in the first 7 episodes:

cold it 19
Colvert 19
colvard
COVERED
combat. 19
cozied
coded 19
Cobbett 19
Corvin 19
Cornfed 19
called mid-nineteenth
Corbett, 19
Cauvin 19

So, if you’re tired of hearing the phrase COVID-19, please feel free to replace it with any of these, just to add some variety in these trying times.

Filed Under: Transcript Tagged With: AI, transcription, Trint

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 7

April 5, 2020 by Robert Leave a Comment

This is a transcript of the podcast Yellow Jack Ep. 7

Host: Robert Ouimet
Guest: Rogério Soares

[Voice over, Robert:] Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet, and this is the Yellow Jack podcast.

[00:00:10] On this podcast, I’m speaking with people who are in self-isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Canada, self-isolation is 14 days. Along with social distancing in the larger population, is meant to slow down the spread of the virus. So anyone who’s coming in from outside the country, in some cases traveling between provinces or who may have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, is being asked to self isolate, to do their part to slow down the spread of the virus.

Rogério Soares is a filmmaker based in Montreal. He was out of the country when COVID-19 broke out.

[ Rogério ] Two weeks ago and was in Brazil. And I was shooting a film there in the Amazon, basically, and I was pretty isolated from what was going on around the world because it was pretty much like immersed in fishing communities and indigenous people. You know, in very small places. I knew what was going on. But I have the real dimension of what was happening, you know, in Canada and even in Brazil at that moment. I was meant to stay there until the end of April for what was really a long trip like two and a half months. And I started receiving messages from my Canadian friends saying, you have a very narrow window to come back to Canada and Canada’s stopping flights from Brazil.

[00:01:35] The prime minister is asking people to return. You better rethink your projects. because you might end up getting stuck in there. I thought people might just be panicking and didn’t give much attention to it. But I started kind of, you know, being more connected with what was going on, basically. And then I realized like, wow, this is this is really big and this is really an emergency situation.

[00:02:04] So I basically I had to finish what it was doing, postpone, you know, my production. I had to cancel it, basically.

[00:02:13] And it was a big kind of ordeal to get the tickets back to Canada like in three days time. Yeah.

[00:02:22] So airplanes were full. You know, airfares were like very expensive. There was there were like fear that planes would not fly. You know, quitting on flying, there were like rumors that Canada was going to go into a completely shutdown. And for the first time, I was like, well, I started to get into a panic and I bought two tickets.

[00:02:49 Robert] You did?

[Rogério] Yes. One was a Delta Airlines stop in New York. And I was like, I just hope that I won’t have to do it because by then I knew of how New York was going through, you know. And I basically got a second ticket, which was like the literally the last flight from Brazil to Canada. And I was lucky enough to be able to get into that place and come back home, basically.

[00:03:18 Robert] Well, I was going to say you you’re a filmmaker. You’ve you make documentaries and you’ve been in some pretty hairy situations in your work. So I’m imagining if you were panicking, it was probably pretty crazy.

[00:03:29 Rogério] Yes. Because then suddenly I realized what was going on in Brazil was that I was well, I was born in Brazil. So, you know, I have dual citizenship. And it’s like this is part of my culture as well. And I saw all the denial from, Bolsonaro, the Trump of the Tropics. Our president, you know, kind of basically denying, you know, the dangers and denying, you know, the possibility that Brazil, because of its lack of infrastructure and poverty and vulnerability, could actually get into a disaster zone unseen.

Like when I see the pandemic in the north, you know, in China, in Europe and in North America. These are places we’ve a lot more infrastructure than the South. So when you think of the Brazilian population, for instance, I can tell you I was kind of working with families in one of them. They had six children. They always slept in the same room because they only had a tiny little house. You have like grandparents living with their grandchildren. You have extended families. Sometimes they have fifteen people living in the same house. The place where I was, which was a city with a hundred thousand inhabitants, they only had six was what’s call ICU unit. So sick, you know, emergency kind of facilities for hundred thousand people. And then I was like, well, this is this this is really bad because people have no access to doctors. They have no access to basic sanitation. You know, so the level of misinformation as well. Enough afraid that there is a lot of illiteracy really kind of made me feel very worried about what was going on in the country, in the region. And that obviously had an impact on me as well.

[00:05:28 Robert] Now, do you must still have family in Brazil.

[00:05:31 Rogério] I do. My father, my mother, I’m in Canada alone. I came to Canada 12 years ago.

[00:05:36] But my my my parents are Portuguese immigrants into Brazil and they’re there. My dad is 84 and he lived by himself. . But we’ve like self-isolation. He doesn’t believe in that. He’s kind of you know, we realizing right now the dangers of it. But there is a kind of a misinformation culture in Brazil perpetuated by the government, which is really telling people to go out, telling the business to open its border, saying that the economy is more important because people will not survive if the economy doesn’t thrive. And this is like a demy when it’s a completely Bolsonara’s interpretation and lack of empathy, you know, for people. And my father kind of in between, you know, getting worried, but also not much wanting to lose his independency. And, you know, it’s been really hard for us to call and explain and to try to deal with this situation a daily basis. What I can do with the presence everyday over the phone..

[00:06:48 Robert] That’s all you can do. So, you know, when you got back to. How long have you been in isolation? Just a few days. Right.

[Rogério] Day seven.

[Robert] Okay. You’re halfway through your two weeks. You weren’t planning to come back to Montreal at this point when you got back to Montreal. What kind of setting are you in there where you were staying?

[00:07:09 Rogério] Okay. Right. I do have an apartment, but in my apartment I share that with a Canadian friends and she lives in New York and in Montreal. She lives in both cities, basically. And right now, she’s at home with her boyfriend. And it was really difficult for me to think about going there, being like self isolatorion in a small apartment with two other people who were already escaping New York. And it was like this is probably not a good combination because of the, you know, lack of space that we had in the apartment. It’s big enough for us to living there.. So I managed to get in touch with a friend who had an empty apartment and she kindly invited me to be there. And it’s been OK. It’s been pretty good. But I have no access to the Internet. I don’t have my phone. So I needed to. By the time I got here to really kind of reorganize my mind in my space in order to operate in this setting, basically.

[00:08:21 Robert] So you’re just in someone’s empty apartment with your phone and that’s pretty much it?

[00:08:27 Rogério] Yeah. I mean, the apartment has a bed has a couch. You know, it’s not empty in that sense. It’s empty because it’s like there’s nobody living here for quite a while. But yes, what I have it’s my phone. And it’s been quite an interesting experience. It’s experience of being by myself. And, you know, I only turn on the phone twice a day. Like in the mornings and then in the evening because I don’t have Internet. So I have like my data plan, which I could extend. But I decided to do a kind of exercise of kind of self with training and, you know, economizing on emotions and being more with myself in my mind and being there for people in my family at certain times of the day, not isolating myself from the words, but trying to bring a new experience into my life. You know, as I have to be isolated, basically.

[00:09:20 Robert] Well, that that sounds like in a way that sounds like a very smart reaction to the circumstance because you’re looking at it as an exercise now as opposed to a burden.

[00:09:30 Rogério] Oh, yeah, totally. You know, and I’m learning a lot of things. I’m learning that I can eat more of the same without a problem, for instance, because I don’t get food delivery every day. So I get food and I have to cook and I have to you know, it’s kind of like, you know, you you end up repeating things. And we very much use of going out and eating you know, choosing and picking. And then somebody I was in the situation of having to survive with less. Which was great.

Also, the lack of communication, since I cannot basically interact with people physically. How you observe. And I was there myself in silence in the street. The trees, the buildings, you know. And I try at the same time to think about things that I could changing my life. Taking this unique opportunity in a way what I see. It’s like that. We’re going through a very, very horrendous situation. We’re losing our elders in our venerable people. To me, when we think about losing our elders, it really kind of painful because they are the keepers of our collective memories. You know, collective consciousness. They are the keepers of our cosmologies. These are the people who are good parts from this earth. In these circumstances, and I think it’s kind of very upsetting to see the way, you know, our society, basically, it’s losing a very valuable part of its population. So spiritually halting. I think it’s kind of bugging and kind of it really kind of makes me feel sad that, you know, when we see the pandemics, it’s really vulnerable, sick, the poor and the people who probably have less conditional health or a pandemic doesn’t choose, you know, but it’s like that’s that’s what we’ll be seeing a the world. That makes me think they know about my position in this ward and the things that I want to do with my life, the change that I can make, you know, quite slow.

[00:11:42] But I think they’re quite important in terms of maybe they want to travel by planes that much anymore. You know, maybe I want to buy less. So I’ve been taking my time to think about the ways, like as a person, as a citizen of this planet, that I can cure my kind of my my life and the things that I can do in terms of, you know, opening up windows of dialog and being there for people being present and trying to be a useful member of society. So this is going on, you know, in my mind right now as a as I’m isolated. And they must see that in spite of all the suffering that I’ve seen the word. This is like this is a fantastic time for me. And I hope for other people to really think, you know, inwards and try to realize that it’s like so many things that we can change.

[00:12:35] And this is the first time that, like I said, I think since the industrial revolution, this is the first time that the whole world pause. You know, this is like this is major. We should try to look at this as a kind of a symbol, you know, to help change the patterns in which we have been through not being aware of. So that’s that’s my main frame right now.

[00:13:01 Robert] Well, you know, that’s very inspiring because I think we forget how busy we are in the modern age. We don’t stop and think we don’t have time leaders, you know, to to meditate, think about these things because we’re just so busy and we’re so connected. We have the Internet, we have email, we have social media, we have Netflix. We’re just going, going, going. And what you’re saying is that this is giving you an opportunity to reflect about it.

But I’m curious, as a filmmaker, obviously, you must also be there must be ideas germinating about film project that has some of those underpinnings. I mean, your work has all the I’m just thinking now about River Silence where, you know, you’ve done this amazing a beautiful documentary about, you know, the issues with hydroelectric dams in the Amazon. And, you know, you’re always, you know, taking us into the point of view of the people who are really stuck with these creations that that have gone ahead. So I’m imagining, though, you’re this must be germinating some ideas for a film for you.

[00:13:58 Rogério] It does. In fact, like I work with human rights and I work with social issues. But I’m also a poet. I’m also a writer. So as a me into isolation, I’m actually working. Right now, we have a grant from the Arts Council, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. And one of the projects that I hope to do besides the shooting of part of my film was to write the script. So what I’ve been doing right now and this is really, really interesting that you’re pointing out, is that in the seven days that I’ve been here, I’ve been really digging into my original project and writing the original script that I have to deliver.

And the entire film is changing. You know, my entire concept of, you know what I want to say. It’s changing because of this. Right. So instead of being more of an investigative mind right now, I ended up writing a script that it’s poetry and expiratory about people and the cities where they leave. And I’ve been reading. Margining those spaces, and it’s quite interesting because I just had a book in my hands, which is by Italo Calvino the Italian writer – Invisible Cities, where he reinvents city as Marco Polo traveling and describing to the emperor that I don’t remember his name like his empire and the cities that he visited and people in all of that. And then suddenly this has been like a sea and they’ve been transforming, you know, a hill. They have a kind of a harsh look into reality, into a more poetic kind of look into the lives of people in the Amazon. I think it is the necessity of bringing a little a little bit of dream and beauty into the harsh reality. And this is really influencing the way I’m writing it to the point that it’s like I do documentaries and I’m almost writing a fiction script, you know.

[00:16:06] So it is it is causing a huge impact on me and on my creative process.

[00:16:10 Robert]. I’m sort of not that surprised, though, because your films have a very poetic look and feel and and pace to them. So, yeah, if you’re bringing that into the script now, they find that really interesting and you can’t wait to see what’s going to come out of that.

[00:16:25 Rogério ] Thank you so much. But you’re right. I mean, I bring I tried to kind of cuts like, well, I use what we call magic realism. Right. Which is kind of a space within reality that we can breathe and then we can dream. So I created those poetic image, you know, to counterbalance reality.

[00:16:45] But in the documentary, something you have to be more careful when you’re doing it, of course, because you don’t want to designate like reality from, you know, your own perspective as a filmmaker.

[00:16:55] That’s a huge issue for me. And. When I make a film, because I could exaggerate on that. And, you know, it’s a process of finding the right equilibrium between that. But right now, especially because I’m writing, I’m really kind of overtakes over. You know, that’s rule lens. Oh, I’m mostly interested to find out what’s going to be at the end. You know, kind of I’m not sure right now. And I just hope that the Arts Council would be happy with the kind of, you know, influences that I’m having to produce something that it’s not quite what I propose.

[00:17:31 Robert ] I think that a process it sounds fantastic to me.
And I think that, you know, there’s going to be a lot of shifting of perspectives and ideas and projects as we go through this and continue to go through this and figure out what the playing field of our new world is going to be when we come back. And I’m I’m hoping that it will take some of the good and some of the positive things, the kind of things you’re talking about into our world when we come back into whatever new new normal is going to be.

[00:18:00 Rogério] Yeah, I agree with you. And I hope that we can go beyond that movement. Right, because the opposite can also happen.

We can bring the best out of ourselves in situations like that. But I also know we are humans. We can also bring the worth of ourselves into that type of situation as well. I mean, we’ve seen that with Trump. We’ve seen that we have both tomorrow, you know, like us world leaders or politicians. And that also kind of somehow permeates through our lives, in our communities, in our society. So I think we have to be on guard. We have to be aware of this and really shift our perspective. But also, you know, go inwards, go into our inner self and, you know, kind of take the moment to analyze who we truly are. And, you know, what is what is it what are the chances that we have to maybe do some important shifts? You know, I think that’s that’s that’s the biggest lesson, you know, that I can learn from it in spite of all the real necessities. You know, you need to work on Monday. You need to to keep on living. You know, life is not going to change, basically, you know, like the planet in this structure, the economic structure and capitalism and all of that is still going to be around, you know. But there are things that we can do to soften that and basically rediscover ourselves. Mean, that’s my biggest hope.

[00:19:25 Robert] You know, Rogério, so lovely to speak with you. And I’m so excited to hear to see what comes out of your work. What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you are done your 14 days?

[00:19:40 Rogério] I’m going to go for a walk, because this is the thing that I really miss.

I love nature and I love observing nature and the like. Stuck in an apartment, not being able to go for a walk. It’s something that I still struggle with. I have I’ve accepted it. But this is going to be the first thing I’m going to open the door and it’s going to be this incredible feeling of freedom, you know, and virgin aeration as I was. The door and I will be able to breathe like fresh air and feel the cold. You know what? That’s gonna be great.

[00:20:18 Robert] Fantastic. All the best to your family. I hope everything’s okay with your parents.

[00:20:23 Rogério] Thank you so much. All the best..

[00:20:26 Robert] Are you going to be able to pick up your film where you left off. How hard is it gonna be for you to go back and and and finish what you started?

[00:20:34 Rogério] Well, I have to kind of deal with those issues. But you know what? I think we have to be creative.

You know, I’m gonna try to work. We’ve got a perfectly. Yeah.

You know, I think we have to change, you know, perspective. We have to change things. Art is about, you know, not only manufacturing things, but those who, you know, remote in. You know, re-creating concepts and ideas. And this is what I’ve been thinking right now. It’s like I could go back into my original project and I could finish it.

But it’s like I have the chance of doing something here that is that has shifted in. It’s different and it’s more simple in a way, but it’s more effective for what I’m feeling in the whole my creative process going on right now. So I might end up with, you know, working with much of it that I hard and I’ll be very happy with that.

[ Robert] Rogério Soares in Montreal.

For links to COVID-19 resources, links to some of Rogério’s films, as well as transcripts of this podcast, please visit the Web site at www.podcasthouse.ca/yellowjack.

And if you or someone you know is in self-isolation and you’re happy to share that story, get in touch with me on the website. There’s a form that you can fill out and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

I’m Robert Ouimet in Vancouver. Thanks for listening.

Filed Under: Transcript Tagged With: film, Montreal

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 6

April 1, 2020 by Robert Leave a Comment

This is a transcript of the podcast Yellow Jack Ep. 6

Host: Robert Ouimet
Guest: Grant Baldwin

Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet. this is the Yellow Jack podcast.

[00:00:09] This podcast is about everyday Canadians who have found themselves in self-isolation. They are the quiet heroes doing their bit to flatten the curve of controlling the spread of COVID-19. A lot of the people I’ve been talking with are in self-isolation because they flew back to Canada from a vacation or a job somewhere. Some are in self-isolation because there’s a risk they were in contact with someone who may have had COVID-19 and are isolating as a way to avoid spreading the virus.

I mentioned the podcast on Facebook and the next day my friend Teri Snelgrove left me this voicemail message

[CLIP: Teri Snelgrove on Voice Mail:]

Hi it’s Teri How are you guys doing? Holy cannoli weird.

[00:00:50] Anyway, I was I was looking at Facebook today and you know who I thought would be a guest. Filmaker Grant Baldwin and his partner Jenny Rustemeyer and their 2 kids just came back from Costa Rica. They are seven days into their isolation.

And the other day they made a stop motion animated short called 2 meters, which was really well done. And then Grant made a fantastic “making of” mini-doc. Hilarious.

Ok,, I just wanted to put that bee in your bonnet, because I think they would be perfect guests for you show. Okay. They say, well,

[Voice over: Robert] Terry, thanks for that bee in the bonnet And I was able to connect with Grant and his home studio in Vancouver.

[00:01:44 Grant] We’d started to watch some of the Nick Park work, which is famous for Wallace and Grommet and now the spin off Shaun the Sheep. And and I was trying to explain to my son, you know, that’s all done. You know, one picture at a time. And so he was really interested in that. And so I’m like, well, we can we can we have the stuff here and we can do that. So we decided to make a stop motion. So, you know, everyone pitched in like Jen made the little set. And then we just took the Play-Doh that we had and made characters. And, you know, my son just made his guy and I had no input on what he was making, let him come up with his own guy. And I made a character for my guy and we took turns animating and doing the photos. And it was a great experience. I mean, he did get pretty exhausted. He couldn’t believe how long it took to move somebody, you know, a couple inches. But it was it was a good experience. I think he started to understand a little bit more about what I do from working with with me on that. And yeah, feedback’s been really good. I mean, we didn’t really have a script or anything. We just sort of started moving characters. And it’s really short. It’s a lot.

[00:02:56] It’s a lovely little piece. I love it. I thought it was both fun and poignant and has a really important message in it. It’s just a really nice little piece of well done.

[00:03:07] We made a silly behind the scenes documentary about the making of it as if it was some massive production. It’s a bit of a parody.

[Robert] So now so with you and your wife, Jenny Rustemeyer, you have a film company and you’re obviously, you know, working all the time. Suddenly now you’re in a world where you can’t go outside and even after your isolation ends, you’re gonna be really restricted in what you can do. So how does that sort of fit at the moment for you? How are you guys feeling about that?

[00:03:39] Well, if this happened a year ago, it would have been devastating. But where we are right now, we’re doing a five part television series on Search and Rescue Northshore, the volunteer search and rescue team here. And we were going on their calls, every single one of their calls for a one year. And but we’re in and post we’re finishing up the post-production on that show. So we’re actually able to work from home, which is the timing where we’re really, really lucky. It could have been really, really challenging for us if we had to stop shooting. But we’re just add in that lucky position that we can work from home. And I just think about how many people are in that position where they just have no income coming in.

We talk about it every night. The way that we’re approaching kind of helping people out is, you know, Trudeau wants to give people some a bit of money. But I really see that the biggest issue is, is small businesses, because they’re the ones that are going to go bankrupt. You know, like if we could just somehow pause all rent, all mortgages and pause all interest for this time period, I think that could help everyone, because then those small businesses won’t be paying for a building that they can’t run a business. So. And that’s that’s my biggest worry is that author, all those medium and small businesses are going to be completely floored by this. And and and that’s a lot of employment.

[00:05:16] Yeah. I mean it it is because it’s so across the board. You know, I mean, everybody’s affected. Every industry is affected. Anybody who’s paying rent on an office is still paying rent on an office and there’s no business, You don’t know if you guys work out of your house. I work out of my house. So if I don’t if I’m not working, I don’t have the office overhead to maintain it. Right.

[00:05:36] Yeah. We’re we’re in that same position. You know, we did have an office when we’re in production, but now we’re in post we don’t need it. So we shut that down. But yeah, exactly. It’s it’s, um. If we could just pause everything. I mean we we’re actually landlords as well. We have rental property and I have no problem holding the rent as long as they can pause the interest on our mortgage. I mean I no problem. That just so. I just wish we could all agree on that.

[00:06:06] I think that, you know, I I guess what I’m seeing is that because things are changing so rapidly, you know, this is where we are today. You know, I don’t know where we’re going to be a week from now in terms of those economic moves and the things that are in place now that may or may not really work. It seems inevitable that the sort of shift in the economy is going to be profound enough that we’re gonna have to find some new ways of doing a lot of things.

[00:06:33] Mm hmm. Mm hmm. You know, the other thing I kind of was battling with since this started was that how how useless my job is to society. And I’ve been feeling this way for a week about, you know, I you know, I start really valuing truck drivers, value service people, and especially that I’ve always really valued the food production business. But man like, who cares? Documentary filmmaker. But then someone posted something today like, well, everybody’s stuck inside. They’re watching art and things like this podcast are there. This is where they have time to do all this now. And so we’re helping people get through this as well. So maybe feel a little bit better.

[00:07:21 Robert] It should make you feel better because I think that, you know, it’s super important, I think in any of these situations that we have people who can tell the stories of what’s going on and who can see the stories of what’s going on. Maybe with a different eye, you know, that’s all we need, all of that. We still need all of those things. And they’re all really still important.

[00:07:39 Grant] Yeah, there’s I mean, this made some some good side effects from this in terms of people have been reaching out to each other more to check on people more. And if we had if I had a friend come visit and he he stayed out in the yard and had a beer at city rain and, you know, through the window or whatever. It’s been nice. And then we had we played a game, a board game last night online with a bunch of friends in the states and you know, some of them in New York and pretty freaked out. And I think everyone really needed that that sort of that connection. And it’s something we probably wouldn’t have done if if we weren’t forced into this. So it was nice to to have that moment.

[00:08:20 Robert] Yeah, I live I live in North Van. I live not far from the Capilano sorry, the Cleveland down. So I walk up there every day pretty much. And, you know, this neighborhood is, you know, a lot of working couples or working professionals. You walk up and down, you don’t see anybody outside. You know, if it isn’t three o’clock when the kids are coming up from school, you don’t see anybody on the street. And now, you know, as I walk up this, it’s about a mile from where I live. You know, I’m seeing families sitting out on the steps, you know, playing badminton or whatever there is they’re doing. They’re actually altogether they’re, you know, talking. They’re doing stuff together. And I’m seeing people walking with their dogs and stuff. So there is a really interesting community side effect that I hope, you know, we can hang on to some of that when things go back to whatever normal is going to be.

[00:09:06 Grant] Yeah, I do like that, too. You know, at seven o’clock we go outside a bank heights bank. We we actually bring out the snare drum. Oh, nice. And we get pretty loud. And that’s really neat, too. And those are some things I’m going to miss from this. But, you know, I I would be really interesting to see what what comes out of this in the end, what we take away and what things we hold on to.

[00:09:34 Robert] So so you got super organized in order to deal with your self-isolation for you and your family. And that’s a pretty big chore. So congrats for doing that. What’s been the biggest surprise or what’s been the biggest challenge so far?

[00:09:49 Grant] Well, it’s the hardest part. It’s the kids. Both of us trying to get work done. Like, you know, Jen finding time to catch up on anything. So we’ve just basically accepted that we’re probably delivering our project late at this point. We’re just we’re running at. Half efficiency right now. And also I one of the biggest takeaways is those people that home-school new appreciation for for the amount of energy that takes, right. Well, you know, you could check in with me in three weeks and see how we’re doing. I mean, we feel like we’re organized now and it’s going well. But who knows? It might start falling apart.

[00:10:31 Robert] Right. Well, I do think that the thing I’ve noticed, I’m finding that anything I’m I’m doing in the community is going to take twice as long as it did before, simply because either the staff are able to only deal with so many people. Whatever the reason is and the reasons are different in different places, but everything is taking a lot longer. So I’m sort of kind of putting myself in that holiday mode where it’s like, okay, I’m just going out now. I’m going to go to the grocery store and I may take me two hours and it doesn’t matter because I can’t make it go any faster.

[00:11:01 Grant] Yeah. I’m really curious about the world out there. Going to see it again. We were basically can go next sets or are we a week away. Next Saturday we can go out and I can go get groceries and things like that. And I’m curious to see what what’s open out there and what’s closed. And but I am looking forward to going for a bike ride with the kids for sure. But it’s all a bit surreal and it’s so unknown where we’re going. And so I’m really just trying to go with the flow as much as we can.

[00:11:33] Grant Baldwin He, along with his partner, Jenny Rustemeyer, are in self-isolation with their budding filmmaker children who are 2 and 6 years old.

[00:11:48] If you visit the Web site, you’ll be able to see the animated short “2 meters” along with the documentary “Making of” film. There are some other links there as well. There’s a way for you to contact me if you’d like to be a guest on the podcast. The website is www.podcasthouse.ca/yellowjack.

That’s it for this episode. Stay safe then stay apart. I guess. I’m Robert Ouimet in Vancouver. Thanks for listening.

Filed Under: Transcript

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 5

March 29, 2020 by Robert Leave a Comment

This is a transcript of the podcast Yellow Jack Ep. 5

Host: Robert Ouimet
Guest: Michelle Van Beusekom

[00:00:00] Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet, and this is the Yellow Jack podcast.

[MUSIC UP then down for…]

[00:00:11 Voice over, Robert] Up until a few weeks ago, the idea of self-isolation, locking herself away from the rest of society was pretty much the stuff of history books or religious fanatics, weirdos or just plain science fiction.

Here we are.

In Canada, anyone returning to the country is now legally required to go into a 14 day self-isolation, and many provinces have instituted the same requirement, albeit voluntarily, for people moving from province to province. That, along with social distancing, is what we are doing to try to slow down, to limit the spread of COVID-19.

I started this podcast out of curiosity. What are people doing when they find themselves having to socially isolate? I mean, yesterday they were going about their lives and now suddenly they have to lock themselves away for 14 days. So I started calling around to find out.

After seeing a post of hers on social media where she referred to her cats as her “quarantine companions”, I called up Michelle van Beusekom. She’s in self-isolation at her home in Montreal.

[00:01:17 Michelle] So, I mean, for me, it’s been such an interesting ride. I was supposed to start or I did start a new job on Monday, March 15.

[00:01:26 Robert] Right. So this is this is your new job at the Documentary Organization of Canada, right?

[00:01:30 Michelle] Yeah. And I was supposed to be in Toronto with the Toronto based organization. And although I’m going to be working from Montreal, the idea was that I would be in Toronto for the first couple of weeks to meet the staff and just find my feet and all of that.

And by the Friday before, it was clear that that probably wasn’t gonna be a good idea. So I decided to stay put in in Montreal and work from home. Then by the Wednesday, my husband Alex and I started thinking about his mom in Brazil and we were seeing that president of Brazil is denying what’s going on. He’s being incredibly irresponsible in terms of the health of the citizens of that country. He is not putting measures into place at his level.

And she’s 80 years old and started to become really worried for her. And it just kind of happened all at once. It’s like we need to get her here.

So we spoke to her on on the Wednesday, March 15th, and said, you know, we think you should really consider coming here. And at first, because she’s getting all of her news from Brazil where this is being downplayed or was at the time, she felt that maybe that was a bit of an overreaction. And she has a dog that she’s extremely attached to, very worried who would take care of her dog. She said, you know, “if it was just me, I would come in a heartbeat. But because of Ginger, I’m going to stay.” And, you know, within a day, it was clear that it was super urgent for her to come. And thankfully, she spoke to a very good friend who was basically crying on the phone and saying, you need to go, you need to go. You can’t stay here. You can’t do that to your son. And so she agreed and we were able to buy a ticket and get her on a plane for Saturday. So that was a week ago yesterday. And. Yeah. So it’s someone who came here from abroad. She is in self-isolation for two week.

[00:03:40 Robert] Right.

[Michelle] And I am also choosing to self isolate during that during that period.
She’s in her own apartment. But yeah, just to be safe, that’s what we’re doing. The whole world has changed for me. Like everyone else.

[00:03:54 Robert ] Well, first of all, let me say, as a member of the community at large, thank you for doing that, because it’s the safest thing to do and the smartest thing to do. And I know it’s it’s a really it’s a big change in your life having to do that. But thank you on behalf of everybody out there, because, you know, it’s an important thing to do and we all have to do our bit.

But isn’t it odd how you can go from one reality to another? It’s like, you know, in the movies , in a science fiction movie, when they set a new world in place, and it takes you like 10 or 15 minutes as you’re watching the movie to adjust your brain to the fact that this is how the new world works. But you do in a movie. But this is real life. Like we’ve had to adjust how our world works almost overnight.

[00:04:32 Michelle] Totally. Totally. I mean, that’s it. Exactly. Like Alex, my husband and I, we were in Puerto Rico for 10 days. We got back like just before everything changed. It was on March 12th. I was in Quebec March 12th. What’s the day that the province came in with, you know, quarantine for people who had been traveling and all kinds of new restrictions and recommendations. But March 11th, the day we travelled, the world was still normal.

So we’re in Puerto Rico with friends having an amazing time. And then we were listening to Democracy Now every day and getting the updates on COVID and hearing about Italy. And we were speculating, my God, it must be so strange. Imagine a whole country on lockdown. Imagine everyone at home. Imagine having to, you know, only have a few people at a time in the grocery store. Like, how does that work? And we couldn’t imagine. We could not imagine that in two weeks we would all be living that way. Here we are. So it’s just surreal. And that which is just three weeks away now, feels like a lifetime ago.

[00:05:39 Robert] I find the time is very…I almost can never tell what day of the week it is because it’s everyday so much as happened last 24 hours.

[00:05:50 Michelle ] One hundred percent. Yet each day is so different. And what you perceive as normal and reasonable behavior shifts so much from day to day.

[00:05:58 Robert] So you’ve always been you know, you and I have known each other for a while. And and before this job you have now with the Documentary Organization of Canada, you worked at the National Film Board of Canada. Before that, you worked at the CBC. You’re a media person. You’ve worked with media. You’ve always worked with people all over the world. So you’ve worked remotely with people always. But it’s a little different when you’re locked into your house and you’re having to work remotely with people. And that’s the only option you have. How is that? How are you finding that?

[00:06:27] I’m finding so far so good because I’ve always worked for like national organizations. And yes, you said worked with people right across the country and right across the world. It’s just always been a big part of my day. Being on, you know, Skype at the time or conference calls before that, you know, for sure having the human contact with the people that you work most closely with. Is it’s different. It’s strange, but at least for me, I feel like I’ve I’ve slipped into it remarkably easy. And I guess because a significant number of my relationships were always kind of played out in that way. I haven’t found it that hard. I’m loving Zoom, I must say. We did a industry webinar on Thursday with 360 people and I was so nervous it was going to collapse and it worked beautifully. So, so far for me at least, that hasn’t been the strangest thing that I felt. OK.

[00:07:30] So that’s sort of the kind of, you know, almost normal work. But what are you finding the weirdest or the hardest transition in terms of the shift? Is it just not being able to go out and see people or?

[00:07:42] Yeah. And I mean, you know, a hard and emotional one for me is my parents who are both in long term care.

Oh, I didn’t think I was very emotional. And, you know, they’re in lockdown in Ontario.

Normally, I would go I would go visit them quite frequently. Right. And they have a good quality of life there. There’s a huge volunteer community and a lot of visitors and family who come in regularly. And, you know, for all the right and obvious reasons, that’s not possible anymore. So they’re in lockdown. And I feel lucky in that fortunately, they’re both on the same floor.

[00:08:27] Up until very recently, my mom was on the first floor with Alzheimer’s dementia residents and my dad was on the second floor for people who have more physical limitations. And just serendipitously, my mom got moved to the second floor with my dad about a week before all of this happened. And thank God, because if that didn’t happen, he would not be able to visit her. We have someone that you know, that we pay twice a day. She’s become a very close family friend to visit with my mom. My mom adores her and just misses her terribly. And there’s so many people at that place like this one woman, Chris, she is there every single day with her husband, Bert. You know, who can no longer communicate and is in the chair. But, you know, he communicates by squeezing her hand and with his eyes. And, you know, I think of poor Bert and Chris isn’t there. And there’s no way that he can understand why she is there. And that’s just heartbreaking.

[00:09:25 Robert] Yeah. Yeah. You know, my parents are also in the same situation in Manitoba. And fortunately, they’re together and there’s no movement in and out of those facilities at all. So they’re they’re locked down into their facility. And that exchange of, you know, visitors just doesn’t happen. But as you say, in a way, you know, they’re also probably in the safest environment that is possible at the moment, except maybe in your house.

[00:09:50 Michelle] Oh, for sure. And I think maybe it’s. I mean, in their case, their needs are so elevated that we wouldn’t be able to do for them all the things that need. Be done, so that’s not even an option. What I do worry about and I’ve heard this from other people as well, is, you know, we all know and I’m I’m sure it’s it’s the case with your folks as well. Is all of those places across the country, they’re staffed by such a wonderful and caring people, or at least that’s the case in the facility, which, again, thank God it’s it’s not for profit and not private, but they’re understaffed.

They’re understaffed because they don’t get enough support from government. So on my mum’s floor, which is, you know, it’s it’s Alzheimer’s, dementia patients who have very high needs and they only have two personal service workers to, you know, to attend to the needs of people on that entire floor. They depend so much on the family and the volunteers. And it’s my understanding that they haven’t increased the staffing. So I really worry about those people getting burned, tell their immune systems being compromised, them getting sick. They need more support. Like if they don’t have a family and volunteer support, they can’t be expected to do it on their own.

[00:11:07 Robert] Yeah. And you know, and it’s right across the country, these these folks just, you know, jumping in and doing doing this hard work on behalf of all of us

Normally also, I don’t know, maybe not in your new job, but normally you would be also going to festivals and all these kind of events that are part of the film industry. So it’s that sort of. All right. Off the table now for you.

[00:11:28 Michelle] Everything is. Yeah, off the table. I mean, Hot Docs is a huge event on the annual calendar. It’s the world’s second largest documentary film festival, the largest in North America takes place at the end of April, spilling into early May. And that kind of feels like an eternity ago, I guess. That was two, two weeks ago to the day that that was canceled and everything is canceled for the foreseeable future in the industry I work in. You know, documentary shooting with people, that’s off the table. Everything is ground to a halt. Like, it’s just absolutely surreal. The things that are normally part of everyone’s day and calendar are no longer possible.

[00:12:18 Robert] And the organization you work for really is also it’s a it’s it’s an advocate for documentary filmmakers. It’s the voice of documentary producers in Canada.
I guess when you’re when you are kind of back at work in whatever form that is, that’s going to be, I guess number one job is going to be figuring out what how how the industry recovers from this.

[00:12:41 Michelle] Oh, for sure. And I mean, I’m working full time now and it’s been full on. It’s just in a crazy context in which to start in a job, because there’s been none of that. You know, kind of little level little bubble you get for a week to figure things out.

like an immediately organization thrown into into crisis. I won’t get into the details, but some of our financing operational financing has been compromised by coded an entire membership like we represent seven hundred directors and producers and some craftspeople across the country whose livelihood has been thrown into serious jeopardy like documentarians are a precarious crowd at anytime, right? It’s not the lucrative side of the screen sector. People make documentaries not for money. They make them for love because they’re, you know, committed and have stories they want to tell and think they can make a difference in this world. But it’s very, very precarious work always. Right. And now this So people have been totally undercut. People you know, cinematographers, sound people who’ve had their, you know, their year kind of mapped out for them. All of a sudden, they have no work. Production companies, their projects have been ground to a halt. So what’s going to happen? Are they still going to get, you know, kind of draw downs on payments? How do they shift? What are the cash flow scenarios they should be planning for? Is there insurance coverage for things that have been canceled like everyone has been thrown into a major crisis all at once?

[00:14:23 Robert] Yeah. And the other thing that magnifies that is that it’s not just this sector, it’s every sector that’s facing all of the same questions. Right. So now you’ve got, you know, everybody trying to figure these things out.

[00:14:34 Michelle] Yeah, no, exactly. 100 percent. And, you know, my fear is a lot of people, independent arts workers, they you know, they they do this for for love. They don’t do it for money. And it’s really precarious. And for some, this is going to be, you know, the straw that breaks the camel’s back and they might not be able to come back. So that’s a major preoccupation. For me, professionally and also personally, I like how how do we make sure that people are able to come back from this and weather this storm?

Well, you know, otherwise in our creative communities, we’re going to lose a lot of talent.

[00:15:11 Robert] Yeah. I mean, you know, I guess I would say, having known you, that at least if we have someone who’s at the forefront of trying to figure out how to do that, it’s great that you’re there in that job, because if anybody can do it, you can do it.

[Michelle] Thank you.

[Robert] Now, I’m just curious as a as a creative person. I mean, I know in this job you’re the executive director of the organization so you’re not making films and stuff. But, you know, you, anybody who’s interested in documentaries should watch a film that you made. It’s called Capturing Reality and it’s about making documentaries. So I’m saying that as context – as a creative person, does this thing we’re going through now, does it spark ideas for you of films or documentaries that you think would be really interesting to make now that we’re in the middle of us, assuming we can make them?

[00:15:58 Michelle] That’s an interesting question. Of course, in the in the doc community, a lot of people are saying, so when this is all over, is there going to be a big demand, you know, for things that are reflecting on life under COVID, or is everyone going to be so fed up, want tomove on to other things?

But I think for me, like the ideas that are sparking for me and I’d love to see these given different creative treatments in writing, in books and in music performance. And I think it’s happening already is I think I don’t want to sound corny, but I feel like this is like a message from the planet saying, “Hey, humanity, wake up”.

The way you are living is not sustainable. You know, like you live in an ecosystem. You do not live above that ecosystem. And a world that is premised on people and goods traveling back and forth constantly and an economic system that is just here on pumping, pumping, pumping more out of this poor little planet is not sustainable.

And that’s why, you know, these kinds of new viruses like COVID-19 are able to come about and then propagate and spread so quickly. Like, as he said, science fiction, the whole world is locked down. 7 billion people like this is just crazy. It’s unthinkable. And the other thing that makes me think about is, you know, like sometimes people are like our health system is underfunded. Like I would say, you know, the nurses or the PSW in long term care or education is underfunded. And then we hear, well, we just can’t afford it, you know. And when we look at the economic measures that have been put into place globaly the past couple of weeks, well, we can afford it. It’s about choice. Yet for some reason, we haven’t been making the choices that support people. So let’s think about that and think about what kind of world we want and what kind of world we want to come back to. And let’s not come back to exactly the same one we left a couple of weeks ago. And I’d love to see all kinds of artistic, you know, interpretations of those sorts of ideas.

[MUSIC UP, THEN DOWN FOR…]

[00:18:10 Robert] I’m going to wrap up in a sec, but I just wanted to. So you have your cat. So you’ve got cats must love this. There’s people home all the time. Is people to do stuff for them?

[00:18:19 Michelle] Totally. Yeah. They are just like so happy. They’re all over us. And our cats love people. So they’re just. Guess they couldn’t be happier. And they’re endlessly entertaining and they take all of our stress levels down. We watch them and see how they are and how they come from laugh to laugh. Life is in quarantine is definitely better with Cat.

[00:18:41 Robert] Okay, now can I ask you what happened with her dog?

[00:18:44 Michelle] So fortunately, a friend of mine has been really good with animals, was able to come and stay at her place and take care of the dog. And it works better for him also because people in Brazil are starting to move into self-isolation and his house is a bit overcrowded. So it just works better for everyone that now he has a place to stay and the dog has someone in her own environment with him. And he really likes animals. And it’s better for him and his family. So it’s all working out for the best.

[00:19:20 Robert] Nice. Well, that’s. Yeah, OK. Well, that’s fantastic. Michelle, thank you so much. And I hope you and your family and your cats, you’ve got another bit of time to go, and I hope that you manage that. Okay. And then, you know, we’ll see. You may still be in your house after that. You may not be going anywhere. It’s hard to know exactly.

[00:19:35] It is hard to know. And then same to you, Robert. Take care. And it’s been great talking with you.

[00:19:41 Robert] Michelle Van Beusekom,in Montreal.

[Music up, then down for…]

[00:19:47] For some links to resources and some photos, including Michelle’s two cats, please visit the Web site. And if you or someone you know is in self-isolation and happy to share that story, you can get in touch with me on the Web site. There’s a form there you can fill out and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

That’s on the Web site at www.podcasthouse.ca/yellowjack

I’m Robert. We met. Thanks for listening.

Filed Under: Transcript

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 4

March 26, 2020 by Robert 1 Comment

This is a transcript of the podcast Yellow Jack Ep. 4

Host: Robert Ouimet
Guest: Janet Smith

[Music – down for…]

[00:00:02 Voice Over]

Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet and this is the Yellow Jack podcast.

The Yellow jacket is a flag. It’s solid yellow, canary yellow. And back in the day, if you saw it hoisted from a tall ship at anchor, you knew to stay away because the yellow jacket signifies quarantine. Flash forward a few hundred years. And while we’re not hoisting any flags, we are asking some people to self-isolate because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, anyone returning to Canada now from another country is required by law to self isolate. And some provinces are also requesting voluntary self-isolation for people who have flown in from another part of Canada. So with people all over the country locking themselves away for 14 days, I thought some of them might be willing to share their stories of self-isolation.

And that’s what this podcast is about. People like Janet Smith, who lives in a small town in Manitoba, called Onanole.

I reached her by phone.

[00:01:12 Janet] Hi, Robert.

[Robert] How are you doing?

[00:01:15 Janet] I’m, well… I think my husband and I both are feeling like rounding the corner. We got back from Mexico, I think a week ago. It’s kind of a time warp , to be honest, isn’t it? A really interesting trip home, trying to get home from central Mexico where we were touring. And when we got the call there that the Canadian government wanted us home, we hightailed it to Mexico City and had a very difficult time finding flights out. So we finally flew domestically across the country to another to finally San Jose de Cabo, Baja and then found a flight on Swoop direct to Winnipeg.

So we got back a trip, cut our trip short by about 10 days and got home and we were feeling just fine. Obviously, it just went from airport to home and self isolating as per direction. But two days later, maybe a day later, we started feeling the classic symptoms. And so we phoned Health Links, which is our Manitoba start point. And the nurses there did an assessment. And given our travel history and the fact that we were feeling head-achy and feverish and dry cough, etc., they fast forwarded our information to the folks in Brandon, which is an hour away. And they called us the next morning at 8:30 and said, can you be here by 10:20? Which meant we had to jump out of bed and rush to Brandon. You know, in about 15 minutes to get there.

And anyway, it just went smoothly. The tests went smoothly. We got our results back in three days and it tested negative. So, of course, that’s really, really good news. But I’m the better of the two in terms of I’m not as sick. My husband has got a really bad flu. I guess, where I’m looking after him, he’s looking after me when he can. And we’re just we haven’t really found that new normal yet.

[00:03:20 Robert] So you feel like crap, but at least you know, it’s not COVID crap.

[00:03:24 Janet] Yeah. Yeah. I knew I have an upper respiratory history, so that was my worry. But sure, we were young and healthy and we were, you know, kind of hoping that that was on our side in terms of even if it was that. I just have to say that all of the every- everyone has kicked in here like our doctors…all the health care professionals we’ve had any contact with over the phone … testing site. We were just so thrilled and we just felt so confident. You know, you’re so vulnerable in this state. And then when you have people who are saying, OK, come on and wash your hands, put a mask on, we’ve got this. It just does wonders for your sense of safety.

[00:04:09 Robert] Yeah, about. I know. So maybe we should let people know ,Onanole is   where you are, where you live. And that’s really quite a small town. Can you just tell people where it is and the size of it?

[00:04:20 Janet] Yeah. Well, I if I tell too many people, they’ll want to move here because it’s so great. We moved here three years ago from Brandon – So Brandon is  two and half hours west of Winnipeg. We still work there or when we get back to work. We’ll probably be working from home, actually, but that’s where we have been working. I work in mental health and my husband works in for the provincial government in employment and training. But Onanole. Yeah. It’s just outside of Riding Mountain National Park. So an hour north of Brandon. And it’s this little community that I don’t I can even tell you the numbers of people you moved. Like it’s at three years ago. And I don’t know, 300 people. I’m not sure. Just a little town.

[00:05:03 Robert]  Wikipedia says around sixteen hundred.

[Janet] You’re kidding.

[Robert] I was surprised when I read the. So I guess I grew up not very far from there, I grew up on the other side of Riding Mountain Park on the other side of the mountain in Dauphin, and we used to stop in Onanole. Like when you said 300, I thought, that’s probably a lot. But according to Wikipedia…maybe that’s the whole area. The 16 might be the whole area.

[00:05:24 Janet] So of course it, it burst at the seams in the summer because like so many national parks with cottages inside the park. People flock here in the summer. So it really, really grows and has a very busy tourist season. And. But during the winter, you know, fall, winter, spring, it’s pretty quiet. But we just have an amazing group of it’s unlike any small town I’ve ever been to in that it’s very eclectic. You know, people from all over the country who have moved here to work for the park. We have a lot of folks that happen to be like craft people and artists and musicians. And it’s I think of it as kind of an intentional community that people have decided they want to be close tonature. You know, close to community. And so we’ve benefited from that so much coming home. As soon as our neighbours and our friends hear that we were back, you know, like every day there’s something on our doorstep, like a casserole or a pot of soup or, you know, at thermometer. We didn’t have one of those and they might just come by and wave at us through  the window. I guess I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, honestly.

[00:06:43 Robert] What a nice what a nice picture you’re painting over like kind of a lousy situation. But if you have to be in a lousy situation, sounds like a pretty idealic place to be in.

[00:06:51 Janet] Yeah. Yeah. And I you know, I think that time will tell. Right. They’ve just closed down all the trails in National Park. So, you know, one of our thoughts was once we emerge from our 14 days and we’re symptom free because we can’t be can’t be even out until all of our senses are are over, even though we’ve tested negative. The trails are closed. So you can’t actually go out on them. And many of them are…you’d be the only person on them right now. But there’s this weird thing about not wanting to be seen out. Like at least that’s how we’ve been feeling. We don’t want to add to the fear if it’s out there of people think, well, they just get back from Mexico? Right. Like, you know, I don’t think that would be the case, but we just we’re just being mindful, not only as I think all Canadian, most but most Canadians have been mindful of the perception of others and that the needs of others as well as your own. So while we’re when we feel better, we’ll be desperate to get out into the in the onto the trails and so forth. It’s just it’s all around us. We’ll have to think about what that would be like for other people.

[00:08:07 Robert] IOt’s interesting, as we all venture into this new world in the new rules and the changing rules all the time, how we are going to behave as a society seems to be, you know, adjusting almost daily. So in terms of your support and and, you know, supplies and stuff, is it just people in the community or helping you out and bringing you food, making sure that you’ve got what you need?

[00:08:28 Janet] Yes, it’s pretty much help people in the community, plus our friends and family and Brandon, that has driven up and dropped something literally driven up an hour, dropped something at our doorstep. Waved at us and gone home. Yeah, that’s what’s happening. That’s right. And I know I’m not alone. I know that this is, you know, this group of folks that are helping a lot of people out.

[00:08:53 Robert] So. So I realize that now I’m just doing the math. So you really just found out the other day that you tested negative.

[00:08:59 Janet] We found out yesterday.

[00:09:01 Robert] So so that obviously must be a relief. But you still have the flu, so you feel crappy. Have you? Have you? Are you able to relax at all?

[00:09:11 Janet] You know what?

Because my husband was so sick, like literally. He’s been in bed probably for three, three days. And he was coughing so much that he just couldn’t get any rest. So I feel like I haven’t been busier in a long, long, long time because I was really caring for him and trying to care for myself and connecting with all my friends and family. Have a big circle of friends and family and everybody wanted to check in with me. And I have to work stuff that I’m trying to, you know, sort out and around the edges. And so I’ve been really busy and I have found it because I work in like the area of mental health and and people in crisis. Like, I feel like I’m kind of wired for that kind of go into firefighter mode.

[00:10:04 Robert] I was going to ask you about that because you work for an organization. I think it’s the Manitoba Farm, Rural and Northern Support Services. Yeah. And that’s really a it’s a crisis center. Correct?

[00:10:18 Janet] Yeah. So the parent organization is Klinic, community health. So Klinic. It’s based out of Winnipeg. And we’ve had a branch office and I’ve been the manager of that and Klinic have a whole range of services, including primary health care, counseling and community outreach. So they’re swamped right now and the crisis lines are swamped. And I’m feeling a bit  on the edges because I felt I was only supposed to be getting back from holidays today. So I don’t know how I’m going to be able to be helpful from here. Now, with everything that’s going on and I would like to be helpful and we’ll see how that goes. So you’re in the days to come. But A yeah, I I’ve worked in this in this field for a while. And so my response is to go into firefighter mode, when you’re asking if I can relax and it’s just like, k, we gotta… here’s what you get. Now, the next thing this person is because cetera. So myself personally have a lot of little bit here and there, but not now.

I feel pretty keyed up, if you can tell….

[00:11:35 Robert] I can I can tell you you want to try to do your job, which is help people. Right. This is what you do. This is sort of this is sort of prime time if you’re in the business of helping people who are in crisis.

[Janet]  Right.

[00:11:49 Janet] So you’re kind of helpless when you’re in when your hands are tied. To not be able to do that.

[00:11:54 Robert] I guess it’s going to give you a you know, not by design, but it’s going to give you a certainly a perspective of what it’s like to be on the other end of it.

[00:12:02 Janet] Oh, totally. Yeah. I mean, I just I feel like my I know that I’m that I’m I’m ramped up a bit. But that’s, you know, and that’s adrenalin. But I also know I’m fully I have a home, I have food, I have family, I have support, I have love. And there’s a lot of vulnerable people out there that don’t have one or more of those things. And they’re going through that. So that’s those are the folks that we’re you know, we’re usually serving and helping. And, you know, my I feel I really feel for them.

[00:12:38 Robert ] Yeah. And I think most of us you know, those of us who live in cities, we think of crisis intervention lines and crisis centers as urban things, you know, urban issues.

But you’re actually working with people out in rural areas and on farms.

[00:12:51 Robert] Yeah. Yeah, we have been. We have called the Manitoba Farm Rural and Northern Support Services. So essentially anybody knows Manitoba. Half the population or even a little over half live in Winnipeg and the rest live outside of Winnipeg. And while cities like Brandon and Thompson are our cities, they really have a very rural feel to them there. Their economic engine is agriculture. And in the north, of course, mining and etc. So it’s very different. There are lots of differences beyond the perimeter. And so our crisis line has been really dedicated to understanding the realities of living on a farm, living rurally, living in the north.

[00:13:37 Robert] And I guess with this now, you kind of going to have, you know, two fronts to firefight. You know, the the COVID front, but then also the economic front and just the just people getting supplies and being able to manage because they can then do you know, the next town, maybe a few hours away?

[00:13:54] Yes, exactly. Yeah…Well, that’s one of the good things about living rural is we just take it as a given that we rely on one another. It’s not it’s not it’s not unusual. It’s part I mean, because we might have been communing to Brandon, everyday for a job like that. Several times a week, we’ll have a text from a friend saying, hey, can you pick up a can of paoint. Can you, like, you know, get the things that they can’t get up here? So we’re kind of the unofficial courier service. So that’s that’s just normal for us. So this isn’t really a stretch, whereas it might be in a larger center where you don’t know your neighbours or if you know your neighbors. You certainly wouldn’t be relying on them necessarily for this kind of thing. And there is something about like a geographical neighbour, like you’re not necessarily going to have each other over for coffee, but just the fact that they’re two doors away makes it easier to call upon them for something like in our case, do you happen to have a  thermometer? Ya, be there and five, be there in five,you know? Right. Yeah, it’s. To me, it’s interesting times.

[00:15:10 Robert] Well, you know, I you know, as you’re talking, it also is inspiring times. If people are helping each other in and doing that, you know, making an effort to be supportive. I mean, it does give you hope in a world where we’re bombarded with, you know, bad and negative news that people are pulling together and trying to help each other. Make sure we can get through it.

[00:15:27 Janet] I know, I know. I think of it. It’s like this is a pause for the planet. You know, do we really need to go and buy stuff? Do we really need to drive places, do we  really need all those things. I think the thing that’s hardest for people will be the hardest for people. It’s the social distancing because as human beings, we are wired for connection. So we’re reconnecting in lots of creative ways. And that’s pretty neat. You know, I love hearing about all the ways that people are doing that. My son and daughter in law live in Toronto and they’re, you know, talking about how people are coming out on their on their porches and how deejays are creating, you know, these online jam sessions. And, you know, people are getting very, very creative. But as it gets warmer out, particularly in our neck of the woods anyway, we’re going to want to come out of our cocoons. And so we just I think right now we just need to say that’s all we have. We just hope right now. We have to say right now, we’re going to stay home and we are going to connect with people in these creative ways and then we’ll see what happens.

[00:16:38 Robert] You sound pretty chipper for somebody who’s been sick. And and through the stress of trying to get you know, trying to get home alone was probably seriously stressful when you’re trying to get it. Yeah. So you sound pretty chipper. I can tell you’re busting to get going back to work. I would just, you know, let me give you some advice as a neighbor from far away. OK. You bet. When you know, before you go to work, you you need to a couple of days where you’re just going to be able to relax and make sure that your husband is feeling well and you’re feeling well. You’ve had a chance to, you know, charge up because you’re going to be busy.

[00:17:09] Yeah. Yes, we are going to be busy out for sure. And my, ah, former clinical director and my very best friend says :”Tere’s a lot to do. So we better go slow”.

[00:17:22] Right. I think that’s probably the best advice I’ve heard all week.

[00:17:26] It’s good, isn’t it? It is good. Lots to do. So we got to go slow.

[00:17:30] Janet thank you so much for getting out of your sickbed to talk to me and all the best to your husband. And I hope you feel. Thank you.

[00:17:37 Janet] And thank you for the opportunity. I hope that I’m sure you talked to so many, so many others with with both challenges and positivity it’s both this and that, isn’t it….

[00:17:50 Robert] It’s interesting when you’re locked in your house for a few days, the things that you actually start to think about, it’s actually striking to me that we forget how busy our lives are and that we don’t really take a minute to go. Oh, let me think about things. We’re just going. We’re doing it we’re constantly at it. And so suddenly, when you’re confined, that’s a very interesting thing seems to happen that people are, you know, thinking about stuff. And they’re also obviously you’re surveying the landscape a bit differently because you’re stuck in your house.

[00:18:19 Janet] Right. And you hopefully are instead of just texting people, you’re actually picking up the phone. I can’t make a list every day of who I want to call. And I don’t I hate to work on a crisis line or manage a crisis line. And I really don’t like the phone, but I’ve made a point of saying, OK, today I’m going to call my my, you know, 90 some year old 94. I think she is a year old aunt in a personal care home in Brandon. And I try to keep it like narrow it, but great actually reaching out by phone or video conferencing. I think it’s really important in that at least for me, I’ve decided that’s one thing I can do. And limiting my social media intake has been it’s really important, I think, and just trusting science, trusting, you know, what we know and our government and what they know and limiting your news sources if you very trusted one.

[00:19:25 Robert] And the best advice I’ve heard is “We’ve got a lot to do so….

[00:19:28 Janet] We better go slow.  [laughs]

[00:19:33 Robert] Thank you so much, Janet.

[Janet] OK, Robert.

[Music up then down for]

[00:19:39] Janet Smith recovering from the flu. Not COVID-19. Fortunately, at her home in Onanole, Manitoba.

If you head over to the web site, you’ll find links to some of the things we talked about, along with some other resources and a full transcript of this podcast.

If you or someone you know is in self-isolation and would be happy to share their story, get in touch with me on the website. There’s a form there that you can fill out and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can.

That’s on the website www.podcasthouse.ca/yellowjack

I’m Robert Ouimet in Vancouver. Thanks for listening.

Filed Under: Transcript

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 3

March 24, 2020 by Robert 1 Comment

This is a trancript of the podcast Yellow Jack Ep. 3

Host: Robert Ouimet
Guest: Amy Amantea

[Music]

Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet.

And this is Episode 3 of the Yellow Jack podcast.
On this podcast, I’m talking to people who are in self-isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re shutting themselves away for 14 days just to ensure that they are clear of the virus. Basically, they’re housebound, quietly doing their thing to control the spread of the virus.

As you can imagine, it’s a bit of a challenge. You’ve got to get supplies. You have to avoid contact. Basically, you’re removing yourself from the rest of the world. But if you have any kind of disability, self-isolation presents a whole new range of challenges.

To find out just exactly what that means. I called up Amy Amantea. She’s an actor and artist based in Vancouver. She’s also an accessibility consultant and advocate for the disability community. And currently she is in self-isolation at her home in North Vancouver.

[00:01:04] [phone ringing – Robert humming while he waits for the phone to pick up]

[Amy] Hello, Amy speaking.

[Robert] Hi, Amy, it’s Robert.

[Amu] Good morning, Robert. How are you?

[Robert] I’m good. More importantly, How are you?

[Amy] I’m hanging in there. You know, what choice have I got?

[00:01:14 Robert] Exactly. How did you end up in self-isolation? What was your circumstance?

[00:01:19 Amy] I think a part of it was that the world around me was being canceled left, right and center, right. Which of course, meant that I had no options to work outside of the home. So that in and of itself sort of forces you to reexamine your life and go, well, I guess maybe I should stay at home. And the other thing was, is that because I live with Type 1 diabetes and I have for 30, 32 years, I have a compromised immune system. And so, you know, medical people in my life were saying, yeah, you know, I think I think you should strongly consider this. And that was you know, I’ve been in self-isolation for 10 days now. So that was really before they were pushing it really hard. So I sort of decided that I would just I would just do it. You know, the time is right. I’ll just do it.

[00:02:08 Robert] So is your plan to stay self isolated until things clear up or how’s that gonna work for you?

[00:02:13 Amy] Well, I think after the next four days, which would be my my two week period, I would reexamine what’s happening. Now, I do know that in my life, I do a lot of things in the disability community, in the arts community. All of that is completely shut down.

And so, you know, I’m not going to be anytime soon going to rehearsals outside of, you know, the four walls of my home. So I will likely be staying inside just like by consequence alone, you know? The other thing I do is I review movies for the blind since I’m also legally blind. So there’s no movie theaters that are open for me to go do that kind of stuff. So I think sort of by, you know, by inherent circumstance, I’ll end up being isolated or quarantined or whatever, whatever word we’re using these days until things start to come back to some sense of normality.

You know, I have great family supports that are making sure that I’ve got the supplies and the groceries that I need. And so I don’t have a need to even leave the home for anything unless something emergent were to happen.

[00:03:20 Robert] Right. And you’re kind of in an extraordinary situation in that you are, as you mentioned, you are blind. So when you are actually not confined to your space, you’re out in the world. You need to be able to touch things and feel things to see what’s going on.
.

[00:03:34 Amy] It’s part of my world is to experience it with my hands. And the other thing, too, is it’s very difficult for me to know what proximity I am and to other people.

And, you know, a lot of times I will bump into somebody or I just won’t be able to maintain a distance that, you know, they’re comfortable with. Yeah, sure. So, yeah. So you’re right. So part of it is, is just about the fact that I touch more things than than most people touch. And that also comes with a higher a higher risk factor.

[00:04:04 Robert] Have you thought or have you talked to other people in the community who have challenges like you do, who are faced with this new world order we’re living in? And what kind of situations does that present for them?

[00:04:18 Amy] Yeah, I mean, I’m pretty connected with with the blind community, with the disability community. And so there’s been lots of phone calls back and forth, check ins making sure people are doing okay. We are also utilizing the good old zoom and the Skype and online platforms that are available to us. The blind community is used to doing that anyways, because actually in our community there is a certain level of social isolation already. Then you add a pandemic on top of that and it’s compounded exponentially. And so we’re already in a space where we end up checking in on people in our community. And so this is just sort of heightened, I guess heightened the need to make sure that seniors with sight loss are getting what they need and other people in the blind community are either connecting through these other online platforms. I mean, in my own life, a lot of what I was doing out in the world was just the transition to my computer. So while I’m at home, in my walls of my home, I am still rather chained to my desk and my computer because certain things have stopped. But other things have gone full force. And then, of course, all the extra curricular check-ins stuff has added to my plate of things to do just because it’s the right thing to do. But it is like having a full time job on top of a full time job, because now we’re we’re in a new world where we have to make sure that people are doing the best that they can. And if they’re not, how, how how do I help them from my four walls?

[00:05:46 Robert] Right. You’re already in a world where you have to go to extraordinary circumstances or you have to take extraordinary measures in order just to, you know, walk through life. And now you’ve got this on top of it. That’s another layer of complexity.

[00:05:58 Amy] Yeah. It’s certainly. Additional challenges to a person’s plate and everybody’s circumstance is different. I know some of my friends with who are wheelchair users, for example, one of them said to me the other day, well, now my wheelchair is not working. And so I can’t even get somebody to come into my house to fix my wheelchair. And this person uses a wheelchair in their home. And so, you know that the able bodied world looks at that and goes, what does it matter? You’re in your home anyways? You don’t need you don’t need to go anywhere. What do you need the wheelchair for?

[00:06:32] But the person who uses a wheelchair, that’s an extension of their body. And so if you need that to make sure you can move from your bed to your kitchen to your bathroom, then you are essentially a prisoner in your own home because you don’t have the things that you need. That’s not something I can help her with personally. And that’s that. So that weighs on my mind, knowing that this individual is going through something that I I can’t help her with. And there are no companies that are happy to walk into somebody’s home and do the repairs because of the social distancing stuff. So it’s you know, everybody’s got a different level of challenge that they’re trying to meet in these new extraordinary circumstances. And when I hear some of them, I feel quite I feel quite privileged to know that I’m in a safe place. And I know that I have the things that I need. And I know that, you know, a family member with a car is is not far away. Should I need something dropped off or picked up or whatever. So I’m not to have pardon the pun, I’m not blind to that.

[00:07:33 Robert] Right. I know you’re also on the board at Reelwheels, and you’re in the middle of a production, Realwheels is a theater company. And you were in the middle of a production which you now had to sort of change. How did that work?

[00:07:43 Amy] Yeah, I mean, Realwheels has been a theater company is very close to my heart. And so I’m the vice president’s on their board and they specialize in disability. Arts is about engaging their audiences, sharing the lived experience of disability. And they do that in a variety of ways. But in this particular circumstance, we are are putting together a community project, and that is for people with disabilities who identify as being artists or art lovers who want to participate in the devising of a show from scratch. So the last show we did was three years ago with Comedy on Wheels, and it was a fantastic, fantastic sold out. Three night show was great. So, of course, everybody is geared up in anticipation for this year’s show because it’s been three years since, you know, we’ve challenged ourselves to do something. This year’s theme was music. So we gathered musicians with disabilities and poets and artists and people writing prose and just a whole group of really exciting, talented people. And, you know, it was I guess we started kind of need. Yeah. Mid-February, I would say. We were meeting a G.F. Strong, very accessible space for all of us. And then, of course, G.F. Strong closed their doors. And of course, by proxy, the rest of us didn’t have a rehearsal space. And of course, it’s the right thing to do. So we’re not saying oh darn, we don’t have a rehearsal space. But the challenge was how do we meet as a community and still continue to work on creating this piece.

[00:09:17 Robert] So it’s not just being able to connect everybody on the phone or through Zoom or they can talk. You’re actually in the creative mode. You’re you’re brainstorming your, you know, ad libbing, you’re improvising. You’re trying stuff right together. And typically you do that together into a room.

[00:09:32 Amy] Yeah, that’s right. This is a it’s a very intimate process because you’re sharing stories that are very personal. And of course, not every story gets used in production and sometimes they get changed or manipulated and somebody likes the idea and they take it on. But it’s a very, very intimate, very personal, very.

[00:09:51] I don’t wanna use the word private, because at the end of the day, you know, we share these stories from sort of an anonymous or community perspective…

[Robert] But there’s some sensitivity there as you’re exploring.

[Amy}Yeah. Yeah. There’s a certain there’s a certain level of gravitas that’s needed and trust that’s needed with the group and that usually requires people to be in person. So we did do several in-person rehearsals and then we did one at rehearsal right before we decided to move to the online platform, which was our social distancing rehearsal, which was interesting because instead of sitting in our traditional circle where we’re almost hip to hip with each other, we were, you know, two, two meters apart from each other in this huge circle around the room. And it it didn’t really work either, because you just you just didn’t feel connected with the group. And so we have turned to to an online platform with the help of the Centre for Digital Media, which turns out that they were working on a project anyways with this production before we even knew that cozied was a thing.

[00:10:54 Robert] So so this is this is kind of a weird little connection because on the podcast episode before this one. Richard Smith, who runs that center, was the guest. And he’s in self-isolation on Bowen Island,

[Amy] six degrees of separation. Isn’t that interesting?

[00:11:07 Robert] Anyway, so I interrupted you. Why did they put together for you?

[00:11:12 Amy] So the students of the CDM were were working with us from day one in order to see about creating an online platform so that people with disabilities, for example, who were not able to leave their homes could participate in, you know, in the creation process for creating content. Or let’s say you live in Prince George and you want to participate in disability theatre, and that’s not available in your community. So we had already thought about this being a really exciting opportunity to connect people with disabilities who don’t get out or who can’t get out or who are in different, you know, areas of proximity. And so we had had certain people in the rehearsal space where many of us were were in person and then a few people were in remotely experimenting this platform. And then, of course, the secondary part of the platform was archiving all of the stuff that we were talking about, all the written pieces, you know, taping stuff, so that if, for example, I missed a Saturday rehearsal, I could go back. Right. And I could spend time on the platform and go through what had happened at the day so that I didn’t miss anything. And so we already had this, you know, in place to an extent where it was working fairly well. And then we had to transition. The biggest part of it was how do we do this now with a large group of people instead of a small group of people. And that just really takes some trial and error. We had rehearsal Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon and you just make it work. We had an open call. We were all muted. And what is happening were little groups of people were meeting, but we were all able to listen in on the call and then, you know, the schedule would change, “Oh it’s Amy’s turn at 3:15 to talk with the director”. OK, I get a half hour block to talk about my pieces with the director. And then but we all we all maintained on the call muting ourselves so that we could understand what was happening in the in the virtual space. Right. And knowing what was happening in the virtual space. But at the same time, because I’m sure you can understand, you know, when you’ve got 20 people on a call, there is no time and no real tolerance for. Oh, I have a suggestion. Oh, no, no. It’s my turn. I have a suggestion. Oh, no, it’s me over here. I have a suggestion.

[00:13:19 Robert] Yeah, it’s really difficult when you got that many people in that even in a regular space, because you can sort of police it a bit more when you’re there in person. You know, there’s eye contact and people can there’s body language that you go, oh, maybe I should shut up now because there’s twelve people acting. As you say, it’s very difficult in the online when you’re all on the on the screen. There’s like twenty little thumbnail pictures of people. It’s really tricky.

[00:13:39 Amy] That’s right. And so we’re just we’re just doing the trial and error thing to figure out how this works. But so far it’s been really, really creative. We’ve we’ve come together with a lot of great content. So we’re not seeing it as a detriment. We’re seeing it as you know, there are few kinks that we need to work out as we move forward. And we’re gonna continue with this process.

Now, at the end of the day, our show dates were May 28, 29, 30, and we have no idea whether our venue, which is the Roundhouse, will be open or not. Right. So we’re gonna continue with the process one, because the community wants it. It’s also part of community engagement because most of these people are also isolated. And so it’s a thing to do. Yeah. And there’s value in that, too.

[00:14:23 Robert] Well, I also think that as we’re sort of grinding to a halt in a variety of ways because of the circumstance, I think it’s really important for people to remember that, you know, we will move on and we will continue to do stuff. We just need to figure out how to do it in this new environment. So that’s right. So in a way, this was like this is quite serendipitous that you were playing with this technology before that you actually had to.

[00:14:44] Yeah, the stars did align for us, it is quite interesting when you think about the progression of how how this whole covered thing had come about, because, of course, to engage somebody like the Centre for Digital Media. This goes back, you know, six, eight months, right. Where you have to apply for grants and have initial conversations. And how is this going to work? And in consultation with people disabilities on making the platform accessible. And so there’s all these pieces that had to go into place before you could even bring a tripod with an iPad on it on day one to have somebody remote in to the session. So, you know that obviously this was all in place before before we even knew there was any kind of virus on the horizon.

[00:15:24 Robert] I mean, it’s kind of great in a way that you’re at the forefront of experimenting with figuring out how to manage this. Right. Your you know, I know it’s frustrating and probably really scary in some ways, but in a way, it’s also wow, you’re pushing the boundaries now and trying to figure out how do we manage in this new environment.

[00:15:42 Amy] Yeah, it’s I think it’s in some ways it’s going to end up being a bit of a legacy for Realwheels theatre, this because the timing is so apropos. But it’s something that’s been thought about from the community perspective, from the company’s perspective, from their board’s perspective, in terms of how we engage the community of people with disabilities. And is it unfair to leave people with disabilities who cannot get out of their homes, for whatever reason, out of the arts and how we make that inclusive for everybody, even if his show doesn’t culminate in the end of that process in itself, has has great value.

[00:16:21 Robert] I agree. And I think, though, too, that, you know, this idea of it culminating in a presentation on stage. You know, I think over the next few months we’re going to be redefining what on-stage actually is.

[00:16:30 Amy] I already know some theatre companies who were who were livestreaming some of their some of their content. And it’s also something that the disability community has been thinking about, because, again, if you’re one of those people who who doesn’t or can’t get out of their homes, you’re not going to any stage productions because they’re not accessible to you. And, you know, the I guess the the barriers to entry for that are certainly there’s a cost involved in in setting up the equipment in a space that’s appropriate to livestream a live performance. But then, you know, how do you keep people from recording that, or do you need to? And it’s not you know, most people who attended theater live know that the experience is not the same. So it doesn’t, you know, will it translate through that medium? And I think all of those questions are answerable and navigable. And the person who is on the other end of the screen who might be participating in watching a live streamed live stage production. We’ll just have to understand those pieces that, yes, you can’t record.

[00:17:36] And yes, you may not be getting the same experience that somebody in the seat would, but you’re able to, you know, watch your best friend on stage. Or however that work.

[00:17:45 Robert] Yeah, I think maybe we’re talking about – is there going to be a development of a new art form?

[Amy] Very possible. 

[Robert] Because, you know, I don’t know. Is it possible that that in the near future, the foreseeable future, we’re not all going to be getting in a theater together? I mean, theaters are built to sit, you know, side by side. I’m touching the person next to me, every time I go to a theater or I go to a show or I go to a concert or anywhere, I go out, I’m even in restaurants. Right. So if the concept of that is off the table for however long, I’m pretty sure some, you know, ingenious, smart artists and technologists and and creators will come up with some alternatives to that so that we can still somehow collectively share an experience.

[00:18:29 Amy] Yeah, well, it’s a phrase where there’s a will, there’s a way people who are artists to their core are going to start to get bored truly because there aren’t any things really happening and they’re going to turn their attention to how I can how I can make an online artists platform. What does that look like? How do we do that? And that will fill the gap. And then it will it will spill over the gap because people will discover that this is kind of cool. And how do we develop this further? And I think you’re right. I think we’re going to be looking at a whole new genre, a whole new aesthetic for arts, which is really quite exciting when you think about it.

[00:19:08 Robert] Yeah. I mean, if you you know, once you get past that, well, my God, you know, it’s the end of the world. Yeah. But when you start to get past that fear and and that’s a natural fear, I’m afraid of it every day because I hear new stuff every day. But then, you know, I think we have to also remember that these are things that are being put in front of us and we need to figure out a way to work through them and work around them and figure out how we’re going to now operate in this new world. And, you know, this is across every sector. It’s not – we’re talking about the arts – but if you go to downtown Vancouver, there’s nobody in the offices – those are all regular business people who now suddenly have found themselves in a world where they can’t meet with their clients, they can’t meet with each other. But how are they going to operate? They need to figure this out as well.

[00:19:47 my] You know, they keep saying we’re all in this together. And I keep I keep trying to drink that Kool-Aid as opposed to the other Kool-Aid that’s being served.

[00:19:55 Robert] Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Amy, thank you so much. And good luck with your isolation.

[Amy] And thanks, Robert.

[Robert] You know, as you count down the days, you can sort of think about, you know, well, maybe, you know, in fifteen in five or seven or eight days, I’ll be in to do X and we’ll see what that X turns out to be in five or seven days.

[00:20:12 Amy] Yeah. I mean, who knows how much longer this could possibly move forward in our lives. I don’t think any of us really know what the outcome is going to be and how long it’s going to take. But you know, I can expect from the disability perspective, one of the things that I could that I would share just as food for thought for people who are also in this environment is that, you know, I’ve been talking to a lot of people with disabilities, a lot of people in the blind community, and remembering that these people are typically transit users, so don’t have access to vehicles and rely on things like grocery deliveries. And when they go online to get their groceries and it’s a four or five week wait for a delivery spot, because there are people who are are using those spots who are able bodied in good health. Have vehicles. And so for them to go and pick up groceries is not a big deal. You do have to make space for other people that that can’t do that. And the hoarding situation has gotten so bad. You know, when people who live on disability cheques get their cheque at the end of the month, by the time they get their cheque, everything is gone. And so we do a disservice to our most vulnerable people by getting caught up in the whole whole paranoia of everything. So take a breath. You know, only get what you need to get. We need to respect that there are there are people and 25 percent of Canadians identify with disability so that, you know, there’s a whole quarter of our population of people who may not be able to get out. I mean, you know, people, disabilities, they’re talking about the fact that, Save-on-Foods is opened an hour earlier just for seniors and people with disabilities. And you’re like, well, great, I’m the quadriplegic who has no health care worker to come in and get me dressed in the morning. And if I did, they wouldn’t be coming in at 4:00 in the morning so I could get out for eight hours.

[Robert] Right. Right.

[Amy] So, you know, that person needs to be able to have their groceries delivered to their door. So allow them space to do that. And that’s, you know, those those of us that have privilege to be able to do the opposite. You know, take advantage of that privilege and, you know, to help your neighbors, that kind of thing. So that’s how we get through this together, Robert. That’s my part, my parting words.

[00:22:22 Robert] It’s a really, really good point is I think a lot of people just don’t think about that at all.

[00:22:26 Amy] I don’t think I would have thought about it until it was on my radar either now.

[00:22:30] Thank you so much, Amy.

[Amy] Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. Bye.

[00:22:35 Voice over] Amy Amantea who has another four days of self-isolation to go from her home in North Vancouver.

Head over to the Web site. There you’ll find some show notes. A full transcript of this podcast and other resources that you might find helpful. And if you or someone you know is in self-isolation and you’d like to share your story, you’ll find a form there to get in touch with me.

That’s on the Web site at www.podcasthouse.ca/YellowJack.

I’m Robert Ouimet. Thanks for listening.

Filed Under: Transcript

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 2

March 22, 2020 by Robert 1 Comment

This is a transcript of the podcast Yellow Jack Ep. 2
Host: Robert Ouimet
Guest: Dr. Richard Smith

[00:00:05]
Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet, and this is episode two of the Yellow Jack podcast where you’ll meet people who have voluntarily gone in to self-isolation because of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. 

In Canada, anyone who’s come in from another country or thinks they may have been exposed to COVID-19, are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days. That means no contact with others. Primarily, you’re confined to the house. There’s some leeway for going outside on a solitary stroll or to walk the dog. But basically you’re supposed to stay inside, isolated from other people.

[00:00:39] The idea is that if you’re inside isolated for 14 days and there’s no symptoms of the virus, then you’re good to go back out into the world of social distancing.

[00:00:48] On this episode, Dr. Richard Smith. Richard is a professor in the communications department at Simon Fraser University. He’s also the director of the Masters of Digital Media Program at the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver. The Centre for Digital Media, the CDM, is a collaboration between SFU, the University of British Columbia. Emily Carr University of Art and Design and the BC Institute of Technology. So Richard is usually at the CDM campus on Great Northern Way of Vancouver. But for the last week, he’s been in self-isolation at his home on Bowen Island. Hi, Richard

[00:01:23 Richard] Hi, Robert. How are you?

[Robert] More importantly, how are you?

[00:01:28] Pretty good, actually. I mean, it’s upsetting or challenging times, let’s say. But my personal situation is quite pleasant, really. I like being at home and I’ve been at home a week now and so far so good.

[00:01:42 Robert] So can you just tell us how you ended up having to self-isolate? Were you traveling or were you at an event or what happened?

[00:01:49 Richard] Yeah, I was actually in France. I was a visiting professor at a University in France. And. And, you know, I went there I was going there for a long time and I didn’t really check into the situation in France. I mean, the virus existed, but it wasn’t that big a deal at the time. We went and my wife went with me. And just while we were there, things, you know, almost as soon as we got there, we realized that France is in a lot worse situation than we had ever known. And it got worse by the day. It didn’t have a real material effect on us while we were in France, but we could see it coming. And so we decided to come back and we did that before Canadians were ordered back. But actually, I think we were in the air when that order came in. And so we were home on the 13th of March. And the advice even then was to self-isolate. Right.. We got a pamphlet as we got off the plane. But we followed the instructions went straight home. Been here ever since. People who live on Bowen Island tend to have a fair bit of supplies. Anyway, it’s just the nature of island life. So we were pretty well situated. And my brother, who’d been looking after the house, kind of left it even more stocked up than you would otherwise. And then, you know, we have neighbors, too. And my neighbor across the street actually got some milk and stuff like that. So we’re in pretty good shape here.

[00:03:26 Robert] Is that a bird in the background?

[Richard] Yes, I have a parrot. What’s unfortunately I know.

[Robert] What’s the parrot’s name?

[Richard] Cecil. named after my grandfather. An African gray. So he learns new things and repeats them. And if we’re lucky, he won’t be too intrusive while I’m doing this call that part of the joy of working at home is all the pet interaction. So if I was younger, maybe children interaction.

[00:03:54 Robert] I think it’s great having him there. And I hope that, you know, in the next week or so, while you’re still in self-isolation, he learns how to say COVID.

[00:04:01] Yeah, he is. We always have to be careful, what we say around the parrot.

[00:04:08] So now you because of your work, you’re pretty used to working remotely and, you know, dealing with people all over the world in different time zones and using video conferencing and all that kind of stuff. But now that you’re actually forced to sort of stay at home and not be able to, you know, go out and interact. What are you finding the most challenging?

[00:04:25] I do a fair bit of remote collaboration and have people all over the world that I interact with, but I do so from typically from an office. I actually commute. I work in the city. And so I have people that I walk past. And my commute is really long from Bowen Island into downtown every day. So and most of that trip is with people that I know or you know, casually. So I actually have a pretty busy casual social life or commuting social life in my say because I use public transit. So. What I miss is all those kind of not the non work interaction.

[00:05:09 Robert] And it is actually kind of surprising. You don’t actually realize it when you’re not restricted, but you don’t realize how much of that interaction actually goes on every day.

[00:05:19] Yeah. Yeah. From, you know, just paying for bus fare and, you know, acknowledging people and or, you know, all those little things. And then in the office environment, we you know, we we all work on one hallway and we we actually have a little coffee station and a big table beside it. And people just hang out there, you know, they were getting their coffee. And so they. The time that. That kind of those punctuation of points, I guess, are are missing. Actually, this week we we we created a, you know, basically an artificial “ no agenda” meeting, which was just grab a coffee and join us on this channel. And so we just hung out together for about half an hour. And it was it was kind of it was it was necessary.

[00:06:11 Robert] That’s a really good idea, though. I think a lot of people now are, whether they’re isolated or not. There are a lot of people are almost everyone I know is having to work from home. And the idea of having just a meeting just to catch up and not have an agenda, I think that’s brilliant.

[00:06:27] Yeah, and it was nice, too, because just like in an office. You know, if you have set meetings with set agendas and everybody’s remote, you know, did you turn your mike on and all that stuff, then you tend to get a very linear flow of things. And when you have a coffee klatch, we call the Academics in Pajamas having talking about Corona’s or something like that. We gave it a funny name and we just hung out. But we also got a whole array of different people from the person at the front desk to, you know, faculty members to staff members. And so we we didn’t have any – we tried not to make it all about the coronavirus – but we didn’t avoid the elephant in the room either. We just kind of, you know, as they say, shot the shit .

[00:07:19] What a great idea. I really like it. I mean it. And I guess to you’re kind of in a weird situation because you’re also having to manage – figuring out how you’re going to deal with your students and your faculty and the whole organization around the Centre for Digital Media. So you kind of got two layers of stuff to sort out. if in quite the transition.

[00:07:37 Richard] It’s been quite the transition. And you can imagine like I’ve actually been in the digital media space for a long, long time. And part of that has been looking at online and remote teaching options and, you know, how can we use the Internet for teaching? And so we’ve been working on that since the 90s. And yet, you know, not that much has changed fundamentally. University education, it’s face to face seminars, lectures and so on. Well, my university just basically last week mandated no, we’re all going online all the time now. And we had four days to make the change. And so something that’s been evolving for over 25 years and really not making a huge you know, it’s kind of like a dent in the status quo. Suddenly, this marginal part of our lives is transitioned and everybody has to do it. And actually, to be honest it’s gone really well. I think part of it is students are well used to doing all kinds of other things online. So and then I think just making it absolutely mandatory for everyone, no exceptions, then there’s no moment – like nobody can whine and complain and dodge the issue or whatever.

[00:08:58 Robert] You can’t sit back and hope it’ll pass you by. It’s just the reality now. But, you know, it is interesting. You and I met in that in the mid-90’s and I was doing work at CBC. And you’re doing work. Get us a few in the communications department. And we sort of bonded just because we were both really interested on the digital side. And you were right. You know, I just spent all this week in meetings with, you know, various people, some of their clients, some of them are coworkers. And the amount of time spent just trying to get everybody to connect is crazy, you know? You know, there is your mike on, is your mike off? Why aren’t you connecting all that kind of stuff? Like, we haven’t really moved very far. Like, we have great tools. There’s lots of options. There are there’s you know, I’m not saying they don’t exist. They’re around, but they’re still sort of not really easy to use for regular people.

[00:09:44 Richard] Yeah. You know, I think a lot of it is is skill and being just being used to things. An example I might give it; I don’t know if you remember when you were learning to drive. But it is absolutely overwhelming. Right. You have to remember, you know, the different pedals in my day three pedal, you know, the blinkers, the lights – looking all. And and you just you go into overload and you try and you try and think about everything in kind of, you know, the way you were taught. And then you don’t have any automatic muscle memory of all the various things like, oh, I’m going to turn, I’m going put on my blinkers. I’m going to check these directions like the things we do automatically. So that muscle memory or that autonomic function has not yet built up, for online teaching on online meetings. But it will.

[00:10:36 Robert] I agree. Like, actually, I should rephrase what I said because I think the tools are actually pretty good, like when you think about the off the shelf, free for use tools that we have. They’re all really, really good. I guess the thing is they’re not super intuitive and because they’re combining kind of consumer equipment into a different environment. There’s kind of a few little hiccups that come along the way. And if you’re not used to, you know, changing settings on your computer, that is where things fall apart. Right. I mean, and that’s where the beauty of things like Facebook live and all these instant messaging services that people use. They are pretty goof proof. You know, you press a button and it starts

[00:11:10 Richard ] Yah, and the little edge pieces. I think there’s two things we can do. One is – I circulated to all of my staff and my students – a best practices. One was from Blue Jeans, I think, and another was from the big teleconferencing and video conferring companies, publish best practices with tips and tricks. Yeah. And I circulated two of those those documents to everybody. The second thing I did is this. I got actually way back in the early 90s when we did at cross-Canada Collaborative Research Project. And some of the people were, you know, that as you can imagine, the technology was very rudimentary. And so one of the things we did is we started every single meeting with a best practices guide. Right. And and, you know, if you were part of the project for more than a few months, you’ve got kind of, oh, and do we have to go through this again? The thing is, people come and go and you always need reminding you don’t sit with the sun right behind your head. Don’t forget to plug in your mike and don’t forget to have headphones and all this stuff. Yeah. And I think given my students the advice that they’re masters students in digital media, this is our chance to excel. This is our chance to become not just adequate, but the best possible users of the technology, because we’re going to be those leaders. We have to show leadership on it and challenge yourself and each other to not just get it done, but do really well.

[00:12:40] I’m curious, though, with your background and your expertise, just in terms of the whole communication around COVID in the way that we’re having to adjust as a society to how we speak to each other. You know, my wife, for instance, is an actor, so of course, she has no work. But also, her community is now trying to figure out, well, how do we how do we do our craft in this world that may last two weeks or it may last two years or it may last…it may be a complete change in the way we work, you know, as a as a as a, you know, an academic who’s thought about this stuff for a long, long time. Have any sort of ideas started to percolate for you around how this might change, how we work as a community?

[00:13:21] Yeah, I think for one thing, there’s no way that this is going to go back to some sort of former state of normalcy. Right. And so absolutely. We need to make those adaptations. And that’s where we’re experimenting with that. The other thing is human beings are incredibly adaptable. That’s you know, that’s why we occupy virtually every square inch of the whole planet despite how different it is. So we you know, we will be able to adapt. And if it’s if it’s hard to imagine what that adaptation will look like. Yeah, I can I can commiserate. But just I say to people, just get out there and start figuring it out. And that may not be right the first time. But, you know, we will figure it out. And and who knows? Some of those things might be even better.

[00:14:14 Robert] Well, I think it’s exciting in some ways when you get past the fear of the unknown and the fear just over the physical risk, like the idea that we’re kind of being propelled now into a new way of working and thinking and communicating, for me that’s super exciting.

[00:14:28] Yeah. Yeah. And and it sounds, you know, it’s a creative moment. And I sent a message out to my students, you know, the that we’re we’re in a sense, we’re kind of like pioneers where we’re figuring stuff out like if you came to a new place and you had to figure everything out. You know, that’s that’s an exciting time. And, you know, we’ll get to tell the stories. You know, when once people have figured this out and long ago forgotten about the transition will be all the ones that can tell the stories. Oh, you wouldn’t believe, you know, we can be that cranky old grandfather. Oh, yeah. So and also, we should probably take comfort, you know, many of us Canadians have had – if you’re above a certain age, you either know someone or have been exposed to stories about, you know, the olden days. And, you know, they those people I endured hardships as well and they survived and thrived. So I think we can do it.

[00:15:28 Robert] Yeah. And I think that, you know, there’s – I mean, I think right now there’s just so many fronts that are being assaulted on. So there’s the, you know, just the physical fear of getting sick. There’s the physical fear if you’re older. You know, maybe getting fatally sick. But there’s also sort of the economic fear, there’s the you know, am I going to be able to work fear. There’s the how do I just get everyday normal stuff done, fears. So right now, we’re kind of being we’re inundated. As you say, that analogy of learning how to drive, I think is really is really good because we’re just doing a lot of us are just overwhelmed with so much stuff. We can’t see our way past it.

[00:16:05 Richard] Sort of paralyzing it is.

[00:16:07 Robert] I wonder, too, I think part of it is that, you know, we’ve always had in our you know, in our communities the artists or the seekers or the people that are pushing the boundaries and trying new things. And and they’ve always experimented in this stuff.
And in a way kind of been on the edges of it, not really necessarily, you know, at the forefront in the community. But now, you know, every everybody and every walk of life in every type of job is being forced to figure out how to do this stuff. You know, how to have a meeting with, you know, six people when you’re in the and this isn’t your field. You don’t work with software. So it’s really interesting to watch how we’re having to confront these things. And I think this idea of boldly stepping forward and not being afraid of it, I think is important and really the only way we’re going to get through it.

[00:16:57 Richard] And I think we really do have to embrace the idea that this is not going to go away no matter. This is how big a problem as humanity ever faces from time to time. And we have to step into it and and start solving the problems and, you know, give yourself a bit of…it won’t be perfect, of course. But I think it’s really important is, you know, it’s very normal and natural to feel anxious about things. And, you know, people do. If we didn’t feel anxious about things, we wouldn’t say, you know, we wouldn’t be safe and we wouldn’t we wouldn’t survive. So people do get anxious. But people also put that anxiety aside and get down and do their work, whatever it is. And that’s also very natural. So it isn’t you know, if you aren’t sitting around worrying or refreshing your Internet connection, but actually you’re doing some work that’s actually totally normal. And I encourage my students, OK. Get yourself informed in whatever way that is. I’m advising people to, you know, if you want to learn new things. Check with the Canada.ca page and then let it go after that. But do the rest of your life from being reasonably well-informed, you know, abide by the provincial health officer and all that stuff. But if it’s if it’s not your job to seek out information and circulate it to others, then don’t make that your job. Get on with what your job is, whatever it looks like. And, you know, I have students who, you know, they have a job, which is to learn new things and to deliver on their projects and all their stuff. And education is going to be enormously important in the coming years. So we have to get good at it and do it. And everybody else is going to have to adapt, find a new job. And I think you’re right on the money to pinpoint the artists and the other sort of creative people because they’re the ones we’re going to figure out new ways. And if nothing else help people feel better along the way.

[00:19:01 Robert] Yeah, I think that’s that’s I think that’s very true. Hey, are you are you actually getting to do anything that’s kind of relaxing and like self-isolation, distraction stuff?

[00:19:14 Richard] Well, we live almost in the country and we have a big yard so, and my wife loves to garden and landscape. So, yeah, any minute that I’m not actually on a call, I’m on call to move a rock or did a hole or whatever. So there’s some of that. And then I’ve actually taken up a thing called crazy golf. Well I like golf or with a frisbee.

[00:19:35] Yeah. And all the Valdy was the big proponent of Frisbee golf. Oh yeah.

[00:19:41] Well there’s a new Frisbee golf place on Bowen . And so and it’s surprising you can actually do it. Social distancing. Maybe not when you’re in isolation, but you know, you don’t have to get close to anybody that you don’t pick up each other’s Frisbees or whatever. So I’m going to do a bit of that. And, you know, walk the dog. One of my friends pointed out that the dog leash is about six feet long. So they can pet your dog, but they don’t get any closer than that. And that’s kind of a nice thing to do. And, you know, the dogs appreciate it. This is, you know, obviously the best of times for dogs. They think that – what the hell – this is great.

[00:20:16 Robert] Well, I I walk through my neighborhood, you know, I’ve walked through my neighborhood all the time, but I’m doing it even more. So now it’s I’m not going venturing much further than my neighborhood. And I was thinking yesterday that the dogs will be very fit, but people will be very fit in. The gardens this year are going to be awesome.

[00:20:32 Richard] Right. We have some great gardens.

[00:20:34 Robert] Hey, what’s the first thing you’re going to do when you’re – you’ve got another seven days. What are you going to do after your seven days? You’re going go out and like run around the streets or, you got a plan?

[00:20:43 Richard] You know, one of the. I’m going to do if I’m going to go to school. I.
I think my students you know, it’s one thing for me, you know. I mean, I guess, you know, I’m an older person now. And I I I’ve been through a few ups and downs in my life and I guess three major economic upheaval. So it’s one thing for me to be a bit sanguine about, you know, it’s going to work out even if you know, who knows. But it’s different when you’re younger and especially so. I think my students are more worried than they let on. And if I can just be at school and talk to them from a distance, that that might be helpful. And I just want to see some people doing their normal stuff. And that’ll be interesting. But I just want to get out and do kind of regular stuff.

[00:21:35 Robert] Have a fabulous rest of your isolation.

[00:21:38] Thanks, Robert. It’s great to talk to you. And I hope this reaches out to a good number of people. I think what you’ve been doing here all these years is really important.

[00:21:50 Robert] Thanks .

[00:21:52] Richard Smith from Simon Fraser University and the Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver.

If you head over to the Web site, there are some links there you’ll find handy. Also, a photo of Richard before and during isolation, along with Cecil the Parrot.

That’s at www.podcasthouse.ca , and your comments are welcome and encouraged.

If you or someone you know is stuck in social isolation and you’d like to share your story, please get in touch. Love to have you on the podcast to find a form at podcasthouse.ca/yellowjack , just fill it out and I’ll get back to you as quick as I can.

That’s it for this episode. Thank you for listening. And we’ll talk again soon.

Filed Under: Transcript

Transcript: Yellow Jack Ep. 1

March 21, 2020 by Robert 1 Comment

This is a transcript of Yellow Jack Episode 1.
Host: Robert Ouimet
Guests: Riley Colasuonno, Ina Fichman


[Music]
[00:00:04 Voice Over]
Hi, I’m Robert Ouimet and this is Episode 1 of the Yellow Jack podcast.

So what is a Yellow Jack? Well, back in the day of sailing ships, hoisting a yellow flag was a message to everyone around you that your ship was under quarantine – there was some illness on the ship and people should stay away. The yellow flag, sometimes with big black squares on it was called the Yellow Jack. 

So I think it’s the perfect name for this podcast. A podcast where you will meet some of the people who now find themselves quarantined because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here in Canada, it’s called self-isolation. There are a number of scenarios where people are being asked to self-isolate. The routine is basically to eliminate contact with other people for 14 days to make sure that you haven’t contracted COVID-19. Usually this is for people who are coming back into the country from somewhere else. But there are some other reasons why you might have to self-isolate. And the self-isolation is meant to slow down the spread of the disease – to flatten the curve. 

So who are these people? Well, they’re from every walk of life and in every town and city across the country, there are people like Ina Ina Fichman, who’s a film producer from Montreal.

[CLIP] At times like this, it’s important we take care of ourselves. We don’t need the stress. I mean, isolation in and of itself is stressful.

[VOICE OVER ] I’ll talk to Ina and find out more about her isolation in a bit. But first, let’s connect with Riley Colosuonno. He’s from Winnipeg. But right now, he’s stuck in Vancouver in self-isolation.

[00:01:46 – Riley] So I was in the Philippines kind of coming near the end of my two month solo travel trip around Southeast Asia. And it was actually on my birthday when I found out.

[00:01:57] So March 12th, when I found out that Manila was going into a month long lockdown, which is going to be starting on the 15th.

[00:02:07] And so when I found out, we knew that there was no flying in and out of Manila. But we weren’t too sure if his international travel, but I had flights from Manila to Bangkok scheduled for the 17th. And then from Bangkok to home on the 19th. So obviously, I wouldn’t have been able to get to Manila regardless with my current itinerary so quickly, booked a flight out of the Philippines to Singapore for the fourteenth. And kind of while that was happening, a few other cities around the Philippines started going into lockdown. Even shorter notice. So luckily, I was able to get out of the Philippines before getting trapped there like a few other people that I had met in the Philippines unfortunately did. So then from Singapore, I was able to make it to Vancouver via Taiwan. You know, it was a kind of a hectic 48 hours. But I made it here eventually. Albeit with no sleep. But, you know, I’m here now and I’m hanging on from quarantine, so. Good.

[00:03:18 Robert] Yeah. So you were sort of hopping a little bit ahead of lockdown. So talk to me about being in another country far away from home. And suddenly you hear from people, oh, they’re going to lock the country down a couple of days. That must really get your heart going….

[00:03:34 Riley] Yeah. You know, as you know, as I said, it was my birthday. So we had a few drinks and ice and the group I was with. And yeah, as soon as we hear that news, it definitely sobers you up real quick. And it kind of instantly on your phone checking the news source.

[00:03:49] And then right after checking the news source, you’re on Google flights there, Skyscanner just looking on. You can get to that country, that situation, as fast as you can, because, you know, you don’t want to be stuck in the. In a country that’s not your own during a time like that, because you don’t know what may happen.

[00:04:08 Robert] Yeah. So a lot of people right now are trying to get home and are finding it hard because the flights either aren’t there or they’re getting canceled. So you are lucky, but you’re still really not home. You got to Vancouver. And because of the 14 day self-isolation rule, you are stuck in Vancouver for a little while. How many days have you been back in Canada so far?

[00:04:30 Riley] I arrived back on Sunday night. And today is Thursday, I believe. Yeah. For a few days now.

[00:04:41 Robert] So you’ve got a, you know, a week and a bit to go still before you can go home. Can you talk about that? Self-isolation, that’s a kind of a weird concept for most of us, although, you know, all of us are hearing about it now. But when it first occurred to you that you’re going to have to do that. What were you thinking?

[00:04:59 Riley] Well, like you said, being from Winnipeg, I’m not a huge winter activity guy. So especially during university over winter break, I kind of did my own self-isolation at home anyway.

[00:05:13] So I’m not I’m not to too unfamiliar staying home and just kind of doing my own thing. You know, especially when it’s minus 30 degrees outside, there’s really no reason to go there. I’m kind of used to staying in, you know, watching Netflix, browsing the Internet, playing video games here and there.

[00:05:34 Robert]. But that’s all you can do now. Right. Yeah. Yeah. So when you when you don’t have the option to do anything else, it’s a little different. Can you imagine doing this without the Internet though.

[00:05:45 Riley] Yeah. I assume I’d read a lot about that’s for sure and I’m sure I’ll still read a few books, but I know it’ll be hard right now.

[00:05:56 Robert] What’s the first thing you want to do when you get back to Winnipeg?

[00:06:00] Ah, I’m not too sure, honestly. I think – as much as I find my dogs back home annoying, I’ll probably play with my dogs a little bit.

[00:06:10 Robert voice over] All right. Well, best of luck with your stay. And have you found a favorite cleaning product? Have you got a favorite amongst the disinfectants that you get to use?

[00:06:22 Riley] Probably the bleach mix I’d say. [laughs] Seems to work the best in my non-professional opinion.

[00:06:34] Riley Colasuonno, currently in Vancouver, staying in his uncle’s spare room, counting down those 14 days of self-isolation until he can get back home to Winnipeg, Though, why he’d want to leave the green grass of Vancouver for the snowy streets of Winnipeg is anybody’s guess.

Up next, Ina Fichman. 

Ina’s aa film producer from Montreal who also spends part of the year in Los Angeles and that turns out to be part of the problem. Here’s her self-isolation story. 

[Music fades]

[00:07:07 Ina] Well, basically, I spent every winter in Los Angeles and realized, I guess it was last week that I should probably come back to Canada sooner rather than later. And normally I spend I would’ve stayed till mid-to-late April. So I got a plane ticket. And obviously, having been in the States, I feel it’s my social obligation to self-quarantine. I mean, nobody is saying it’s mandatory, but I think it’s really important that we all do what we need to do…

[00:07:44 Robert] Yeah.

[Ina] … During this crisis

[Robert] And and, you know, if no one else has said thank you to you for doing that, I’m going say thank you to you for doing not because, you know, it’s important. People aren’t being mandated. But as you say, we’re being asked to do it if you’ve been out of the country or that kind of thing. How many more days do you have to go?

[00:08:06] Ah. Twelve. [laughs] Yes. Twelve. Yeah. ‘

[Robert] So you’re you’re kind of just at the you’re at the beginning of your journey.

[Ina] Exactly.

[00:08:15 Robert] If people don’t know you, you’re a very long standing film producer in Canada.

[Ina] Yes.

[Robert] You’ve produced a lot of really incredible films. I’m imagining that your normal work is sort of partly remote because you’re dealing with people all over the world. But then in the other part of your work is very much in close proximity to people.

[00:08:35 Ina] Yeah. I mean, the strange thing about – not strange – but my work involves a lot of travel and I generally don’t go on film shoots, but I go to film festivals and film markets all year and my busiest period was actually starting very soon where I go to Hot Docs and then to Cannes, and then to Sunny Side of the Doc, and to this event in Israel. And on and on and on until July. And then I have a little break and then I travel again. The flip side of it is because I do so much international business, I’m used to doing Skype calls and Zoom calls and emails and Google Docs and just communicating with my colleagues in multiple time zones all of the time.

[00:09:20] Yeah. So it’s kind of a you’ve got kind of a real mixed bag of activity. So in some ways you are able to do what you were doing before. But in lot in other ways, you can’t do any of the stuff you were doing before.

[00:09:32] Well, exactly. Like I was getting ready, I had a film that was showing in Tribeca. And then I have three films that I’m associated with showing at Hot Docs. And then I was off to the Cannes Film Festival because one of my VR projects is being, you know, shown in their section as well and and on and on, and of course all of that has been canceled. So at a time when I am usually getting ready for a crazy amount of travel, I’m actually going to be doing no travel.

[00:10:02 Robert] Have you got people to help you? Like, are you are you your family around you that’s helping you while you’re self-isolated or how’s that working?

[00:10:08 Ina] Yeah. So my son actually went and I sent him a grocery list. My son is 25 and he bought everything I needed except the eggs, whatever. Just won’t eat eggs for the next few days. And yeah. So that was really helpful. And, you know, it’s a little weird sitting at home. But you know when I’m in Los Angeles, I work out of my place there, so there are days when I don’t go out that much. I guess for many of us, it’s like not having the option to go out, to even go have that coffee or see a friend or a colleague or have a face to face meeting. And, you know, I luckily have nothing that is filming until the earliest, July. So I don’t have any shoots to cancel. But I do have a film in post-production where my director from Israel was supposed to come to Montreal, where she was very determined to come. And then they instituted a lockdown in Tel Aviv and she’s pregnant. And she realized, you know, if I go to Canada and then can’t get back into Israel or have to quarantine myself, that’s going to be pretty crazy. So she didn’t come. And also, a lot of, you know, some of the smaller studios are staying open, you know the sounds studios, but, you know, even trying to do this in normal times, it would be challenging but doable to do post-production remote. I could send her the online, which is the final edit of the film, and she could look at it on a big screen in Tel Aviv, but she can’t even do that. Because all those places are closed.

[00:11:46 Robert] Yes. Did you find yourself like every day kind of going, oh, I’m going to do this? — Oh, no, I can’t do that

[00:11:51 Ina] Well, you know, I’m trying to be as flexible as possible. So, for example, we were supposed to record narration next week and her producer, because he’s been busy, you know, trying to organize his business, hasn’t gotten around to finalizing with her in the final narration script. Well, we moved by a week. And, you know, it was so funny because I called up the casting agent – we have a really very well-known Canadian actor. R.H. Thompson’s doing the narration – and I said, OK, do you think he’ll be available the next week? And as the words were coming out of my mouth, I went, well, ah, he’s not shooting a movie. He’s not in a play. You know, everyone’s available right now, of course, he’s available.

[00:12:27 Robert ] So what I’m hearing is that you are as busy as always and you’re not just sitting around twiddling their thumbs and going…

[Ina} oh, God, no.

[Robert] I’m isolated and I’m just going to chill.

[00:12:37 Ina] No, no, althought I’m trying to chill a little more. Like I’ll stop work at around 5:00, and I’ll, you know, maybe watch a little junk on Netflix and, you know, and take my dog for a walk and a little more because I feel that at times like this, it’s important we take care of ourselves. We don’t need to add stress. I mean, isolation in and of itself is stressful.

[00:13:02 Robert] Did does something like this, as a creative person, does something like this give you ideas around like a film you’d like to make or a documentary you’d like to see done about this subject?

[00:13:12 Ina] The biggest irony is one of my main production now is a film about the gig economy.

[Robert] Right.

[Ina]So we have finished filming. This is the one that we pitched at Good Pitch [Vancouver] with Shannon Walsh, the director. And like now, Shannon and I had a call this morning and I’m like, maybe we need to go back to our characters. And obviously we can’t film with them because, we can’t film, nobody can leave and go travel or whatever. But maybe they could do video diaries and maybe we could do Zoom or Skype interviews with them just to get an update about how things are going in this new reality for them.

[00:13:56 Robert] Right. And so for people that don’t know about the film, could you just give us a quick precis? I mean, I saw the pitch, so I know a little bit about it but most people won’t.

[Ina] Ya it’s a film about this new economy of gig workers who are working for companies like Uber and Lyft and Deliveroo and Task Rabbit rather than just, you know, looking globaly at how this new way of working has changed the way we work with each other and the rules of the game as it pertains to work.

[00:14:25 Robert] And the irony is, one of the major pieces of that is the fact that they have really very little protections.

[00:14:32 Ina] Well, exactly. There’s there’s freedom, but there’s no protection. So people like some of our characters probably wouldn’t have other jobs for whatever reasons. In France, we have someone who’s a migrant and he would have never had a job, you know, unless it was through the gig economy. But at the same time, this is a new way of working. We’re not going back to nine to five. So how do we cope with that? How do we manage it? How do we legalize it? How do we protect the workers? All of these questions are things that we deal with in the film. The irony is this is a sector – I mean, everyone’s going to be hit economically by this crisis. But the gig economy is something – I mean, every day there’s another article about how this is impacting these workers worldwide. So of all the films I’m working on, this one is, you know, so relevant, so pertinent to, you know, the new world order for thats happen as of January.

[00:15:32 Robert] Yeah. And it’s interesting to wonder how this crisis will affect, you know, legislation and a variety of other things…

[00:15:42] Also, you know, for the first time, governments are realizing and legislators that, hey, you know, not all the work, everyone on the workforce is eligible for unemployment insurance. So how do we deal with the freelancers and the gig workers? And they’re actually dealing with everyone because they don’t have a choice. COVID-19 is forcing us to rethink a lot of things. So I actually think that as horrible as it is right now, there’s no question maybe there’ll be some lessons learned. Maybe. We hope.

[00:16:15 Voice over] That’s Ina Fichman in Montreal.

On the website, you’ll find some links to information about COVID-19. There’s some information on the film Ida mentioned that she’s been working on and there’s some other stuff, too. You can leave comments there.

Also, if you are stuck in self-isolation right now, I can’t think of anything more fun for you to do than be a guest on the Yellow Jack podcast if you’re interested. Just drop me a line at info@podcasthouse.ca or fill out the form on the Podcast House website. That’s www.podcasthouse.ca/yellowjack. 

That’s it for this edition. I’m Robert Ouimet, talk again soon.

[Music up and out]

Filed Under: Transcript Tagged With: transcript

© 2023 · Bigsnit Media Consulting Inc. ·