Our wicked staff

Check it out: I got Jenn to put together this questionnaire for some of our more prestigious front desk superstars, and then I found some various pictures of them, and put this little section together. I'll be taking more pictures with the Ocean Island 5-megapixel digital camera OF DOOM soon enough, too.

Here you can see our staff in their natural habitat, doing typical front desk work like sashaying around, drinking coffee, looking at computer screens... ok so it's not real typical front desk work, but usually when I jump out with the camera they're all like "ooh, let's pose like this" and I'm all "awright, whatever y'all feel like."

-Pema the web designer

That's Ali on the right. She's a strange one. A wicked lady with the wickedest disposition ever, Ali works the night shift. A true Graveyard Gal. I went for this real late-night bike ride out to Esquimalt for no reason, came back, and chatted with her for like two hours. If you want to get on Ali's good side, appeal to her sense of coffee.
-Pema the web designer

Name: Ali

If you could have any superhero superpowers what would they be and why?
I wanna fly baby!!! So I don’t have to wait around to collect frequent flyer points before I can take my next adventure…yeah fly ‘cause I can already read people’s minds.

What do you like best about working at this place?
Easy…the opportunity to experience and thrive in this crazy chaos with the rest of the front desk chickies. It’s a far out experience, meeting all of these licorice allsorts who venture into OI.

What's your sign?
A napping Leo with one eye open.

Where have you traveled to?
Not far enough…Scotland, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Europe when it was cheap, Australia and New Zealand.

Where would you like to go next?
I must go back to New Zealand to pick up the belongings that I left behind and to say hi to family. Afterwards, Asia anywhere and then back to the east coast of Canada in a VW van.

If you could be any side dish which would you be, and why?
A box of chocolates…’cause you never know what you are going to get with me.

What rules about Victoria?
The fine weather here and the laidback lifestyle we all yearn.

Favorite OI inspired moment
Probably the goings on at C2 Lounge

Anything else that you want the world to know?
You’re never alone on the graveyard shift…

Transplanted from Ont-scaryo by way of New Zealand, Ali is OI’s lovely front desk headliner. Just ask her, any night of the week she’s willing to put on shows for tips. But alas, if you’re arriving after December you’ve missed out because Ali’s hanging up her dancing shoes for a more concervative job in OI’s back office. Perhaps one night though, with a lot of faith and a little bit of luck you might catch Ali dancing once again.

Tor and Agnes chillin' out behind the front desk.

Looks like Rob's liquering Tor up for an evening on the town... check the sly look on Rob's face... what a gentleman!

Name: Tor

If you could have any superhero superpowers what would they be and why?
What do you mean if I could have any? I can fly and control things with my mind.

What do you like best about working at this place?
The scenery in the café and the front desk girls.

What's your sign?
The Virgin-Modest, shy and innocent, yet intelligent and cunning.

Where have you traveled to?
Here, there and 8 European countries in 16 days

Where would you like to go next?
Scotland-it has always been my dream to make love on top of one of the mountains there

If you could be any side dish which would you be, and why?
Chocolate (yes, it can be a side dish)-because it’s sweet and everyone loves it and if you don’t, you don’t deserve it anyway.

What rules about Victoria?
The weather (it’s a hell of a lot warmer here than in Nova Scotia), and of course all of my friends.

Favorite OI inspired moment
Ingesting coffee for the first time and as a result staying up for almost 36 hours.

Anything else that you want the world to know?
I can touch my tongue to my nose but I can’t whistle.

Victoria (she prefers to be called Tor) is a transplant to our coast from the other side of the country. Finally fulfilling her lifelong dream of moving to a town with her same name, Victoria has greeted Victoria in the most non-scizophrenic way possible. With a holiday likness paralleled only by Julia Childs and Martha Stuart, Tor is always dependable for impeccable decorating and après-hours dining. A lovely and friendly face to have around the place.

Jenn works the night shift, so I've gotten to know her a bit. She doesn't like chocolate, is into architecture, is very smart, and very nice. I also like her ability to be rude to total losers. Her innate sillyness empowers her with a lot of credibility, I think.
-Pema the web designer

Name: Jenn

If you could have any superhero superpowers what would they be and why?
I would like gills and the ability to seduce any gender with a single stare.
"Ahem... she can already do the stare seduction thing, and as for gills, when she seduces the Sea King, he will endow her with a pair. And dude, that sea king, he's hot." -Pema

What do you like best about working at this place?
Hmmm…to be honest, its all pretty good. I like Room 16 (hee hee), I like working the graveyard, I like all of the ‘special’ people that come around and I like it when guests go to 7-11 for me in the middle of the night. Oh yeah, and when Agnes grabs me in all the inappropriate places.

What's your sign?
Leo-I guess that means I’m feisty? Back up, I know that it means I’m feisty.

Where have you traveled to?
I’ve been around. My absolute favorite though is the Baja of Mexico…its the best place on earth (other then here of course).

Where would you like to go next?
I would like to go to Africa or South America…I’m a Leo, I love the hot hot heat.

If you could be any side dish which would you be, and why?
Well, I really don’t like condiments but I guess that’s not really the question. Ummm, oh, I love KFC Coleslaw, but I don’t know if I’d want to BE it…weird aftertaste you know? But a really cool neon green in colour. Dilemma.

What rules about Victoria?
I love the beach, the laid-back cool vibe, and the people here.

Favorite OI inspired moment
Either when Frank got locked in the basement (sorry Frank), or, nope that’s pretty much my favorite OI moment.

Anything else that you want the world to know?
Being small is an advantage (thanks mom), small feet rule, and being intelligent just means listening to what other people have to say.

Name: Cristy

If you could have any superhero superpowers what would they be and why?
I’d clear landmines.

What do you like best about working at this place?
Sharing my music loudly.

What's your sign?
Gemini.

Where have you traveled to?
Western and Eastern Europe, Quebec, Mexico & Costa Rica.

Where would you like to go next?
Russia or Mozambique.

If you could be any side dish which would you be, and why?
Spring Rolls.

What rules about Victoria?
My friends, the friendly people in general, eco-conscious too.

Favorite OI inspired moment
Learning what ‘sledporn’ means.

Cristy is an OI veteran front desk-er. Probablly most famous for her individual approach to music, Cristy spices things up on our OI speakers. Budding peace activest and friendly face extroidinaire, Cristy will certainly be missed if she decides to move to the Yukon for some ‘sledporn’ of her own.

Check it out: Kaley in a box! This is what she looked like when she first arrived from the factory. We got just what we were looking for.

When cornered, Kaley relies on her steady supply of carrots! Watch out for those things, dude... she'll put your lights out.

Kaley's really, really nice. And she's got really cute dimples! You know when your friends say something cute and they're all sticking their two index fingers into their cheeks where dimples would be? Kaley doesn't have to use her fingers. And she wears shirts from Smoking Lily all the time. Ouch!
-Pema the web designer.

Name: Kaley

If you could have any superhero superpowers what would they be and why?
The ability to write in the same category as Milton or Chaucer or Shakespeare or Cummings or Plath or well you get my point.

What do you like best about working at this place?
The staff, the travelers, the music, the general wicked ambience.

What's your sign?
Taurus- Stubborn with a ever burning passion for good food.

Where have you traveled to?
Australia, Fiji, Mexico, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, Hawaii, the Baja coast

Where would you like to go next?
Laos, Morocco and the Trans-Siberian railway.

If you could be any side dish which would you be, and why?
What do you mean “could”? I am a dish! Actually I would be mashed potatoes because with all the other flavors on your plate sometimes you just need something dependable.

What rules about Victoria?
The unusual amount of naturally gorgeous women, the ocean and just the general healthy west coast mentality.

Favorite OI inspired moment?
When Chris was doing the night cleaning shift and accidentally hit one of the old door bells and it got stuck ringing at like 4 in the morning so he decided to put his lips around it and try to suck it out…and the words that were coming out of Ali’s mouth in regards to the situation.

Anything else that you want the world to know?
Tomatoes restore the platelets that you loose when drinking the booze thus getting rid of that wretched sick feeling in the morning….oh and always give a firm handshake.

Dude check this hot picture of me. Pictures that make me look hot... I'm into them. I have a lot of fun electronic equipment and here you get to see exactly half of it. This is me in my old place in Gordon Head. I've got pretty much the same setup here in my room at Ocean Island, except I'm farther away from all the mangy UVic students, and closer to the other staff!
-Pema the web designer.

Name: Pema

If you could have any superhero superpowers what would they be and why?
If I could make electronic music, like, if I could synthesize sounds, record and sample and play back sounds, arrange them and produce them and play them live together without equipment, like if I could do it all with my body or my mind somehow, that'd be my super power. Playing air keyboard and have it actually make sound. Mmmm....

What do you like best about working at this place?
Well check it out: my studio is in my room, two feet from my bed. When I meet with Kevin, I go to his place (two minutes bike ride away), or his office (downstairs), or my place, and when I need something from the staff, they're literally like 20 feet away. Also: my design skills get put to good use, and everybody is way nicer than necessary.

What's your sign?
Pisces (bit of leo and virgo in there too) real sensitive and stuff, also analytical, transcendental and practical, spiritual and scientific... it's weird. I'm just a really weird kid.

Where have you traveled to?
The weirdest place I've ever been is Vulcan. Strange friggin' planet man. Also seen the Dempster Highway in the Yukon, and seen lots of west-coastal North America... some western Canadian provinces....

Where would you like to go next?
Montreal, Bhutan, Romulus.... Anywhere outside North America, really. I think this whole continent is culturally backward as hell.

If you could be any side dish which would you be, and why?
Sushi. But for dessert I'd be a Black Forest cake.

What rules about Victoria?
Second Story Cafe, Ocean Island, my friends... the beauty of Yates St. and Old Town in the summer, summer afternoons in Chinatown, Lucky Bar, the organic food, cigars....

Favorite OI inspired moment?
I can't say here, because it's sexual, medical and barely legal. But it was fantastic.

Anything else that you want the world to know?
I'm starting to warm up to the idea of people assuming I'm gay. I mean, it keeps homophobes outta my hair, allows me to get away with almost anything fashion-wise without a lotta stupid questions, girls kinda let their guard down around me, which is nice because I'm into making friends with them as much as I'm into like... you know... playing around with them. Umm....