Laughing Giraffe

Finished!

2010-11-14T14:45:00.003-06:00

So, I did eventually finish the chiyogami (origami paper) canvas project I started a few years (!) ago. I was originally going to post pictures of all these steps. But, when I got going I realized the steps between design and completion were very few and kinda boring. So, you just get the completed canvases now. I'm not sure why, but I've had quite the time trying to get decent pictures of them. Just recently, I've been playing around with the settings on my very-good-point-and-shoot-but-definitely-not-professional camera. I got some half-way decent shots so here they are.

Canvas #1

Canvas #2

Canvas #3

All the canvases on the wall....

A more "arty" shot....

I can't believe I found this....

2009-10-26T23:03:00.002-05:00

Whenever someone talks about pea soup, I always think of a poem that my Grade 5 teacher read to us. The only line I could remember was "Shut up, pea soup! Shut up, you cup of tea!". I also remember that it took place at a hockey game and that it was (obviously!) a Canadian poem. I've googled these phrases several time to no avail. Well today (just now!) there was avail! I found it!

So here, for your reading enjoyment, is the long-lost poem.

A Poem written in the style of William Henry Drummond
By Wilson MacDonald

Wen I am tire of travail-trop
I put on coat of coon
And go see Canadiens make meence-meat of Maroon

When Joliat skate out I yell
Unteel I have a pain
I trow my ‘at up in the hair
And shout “Urrah,” again.

“Shut up, Pea Soup”, an Henglishman
Sourcastic say to me;
So I turn round to heem and yell :
“Shut up, you Cup of Tea.”

Dat was a ver’ exciting game:
De score eet was a tie;
An’ den dat leetle Joliat
Get hanger een hees heye.

He was so queek he mak’ dem look
Jus’ lak’ a lot of clown
An, wen he shoot, de wind from ‘er
Eet knock de hompire down.

Dat was de winning goal, ‘urrah;
De game she come to hend.
I yell: “Bravo for Joliat;
You ‘ear: ‘e ees ma friend.”

De Henglishman he say: “Pardon,”
An’ he tak off hees hat:
“De Breetish Hempire steel ees safe
Wen men can shoot lak’ dat.”

An’ den he say, “Bravo,” as hard
As Henglishman can whoop:
“I tink tonight I’ll change from tea
To bally ole pea-soup.”

Happy Christmas to all Habs’ fans
To all fans of hockey
Especially to our best rivals
May we one day share again a rivalry as intense as this one !

some designs

2009-08-22T23:50:00.008-05:00

Here are some designs for my canvases that I've come up with. They are just rough 'sketches' -- the measurements etc. are not precise. I also may or may not use the exact piece of chiyogami shown when I make the real canvas (if I decide to use a particular design).

it's the steps along the way that are important

2009-08-11T16:35:00.006-05:00

I've had this project "on the shelf" for a while now. My life has slowed to a more manageable pace, so it's time to revive this. And I thought I'd take you along for the ride.

I'm going to make three co-ordinating canvases. Each of them will have chiyogami (origami paper) somewhere on it. Here are the chiyogami I have. I'm not sure if I'll use all of them or not. I like the four at the top of the picture the best right now.

I've chosen a few paint colours to go with the chiyogami. Not sure if I'll use all of these yet either, but probably the beige and dark blue for sure.

That's pretty much all I have for now. Just the seeds. Next step is designing the canvases. I think I'll do that on the computer, so I'll post my designs when I get a few started.

And Then

2009-08-06T20:50:00.004-05:00

And Then

Pondering the landscape

When the fog lies down and lets you see

The sky is falling into the reflection of the mirrored lake

Momentary prophets

Shuffle the connections

1 time moar, ladeez and jenteelmanz

2009-07-18T15:25:00.003-05:00

Once more, ladies and gentlemen, from the sublime to the ridiculous:

The sublime ... and ridikulus...

Dis is found in teh Book of Matthew 6 an in teh Book of Luke 11, srsly. Dis beez teh Ceiling Cat Prayer.

Teh Ceiling Cat of us, whu haz cheezeburger, yu be spechul

Yu ordered cheezburgerz,

Wut yu want, yu gets, srsly.

In ceiling and on teh flor.

Giv us dis day our dalee cheezburger.

And furgiv us for makin yu a cookie, but eateding it.

And we furgiv kittehs who be steelin our bukkits.

An do not let us leed into teh showa, but deliver us from teh wawter.

Ceiling Cat pwns all. He pwns teh ceiling and teh floor and walls too.

Forevur and evuhr. Amen.

that stinks!

2009-06-29T22:55:00.002-05:00

You've probably noticed that more and more public places have signs asking the public not to wear cologne or perfume. I even know someone who was denied access to public transit because of their use of scent. Of course, most of this is reaction to people who are allergic or sensitive to these products.

Why, then, have department stores not caught on to this? Why can't you walk into a department store without passing through this odoriferous area? When will they move this to a hermetically sealed room?

Seriously!

plants, chess and a pearl

2009-06-04T20:44:00.005-05:00

I found that with clean water and soil, the plants from the toxic jungle aren't poisonous. All the poison is in the soil.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

Hate sometimes stands quite close to love. God, too, stand often near to evil -- like silent chessmen -- side by side. Only the color of the squares is different.

Calvin Miller

The Singer

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Matthew 13:45-46

The Holy Bible (New Living Translation)

peaceful disaster

2009-04-18T14:26:00.018-05:00

Parts of Winnipeg are currently under a state of emergency. Unlike other other natural disasters, a flood is deceptively calm. You could be a couple of blocks from the river and have no idea of the crisis that is occuring.

View of the Assiniboine River from the Main Street Bridge

The railway bridge from The Forks

The Assiniboine River from Bonnycastle Park. Normally, the river is beyond the concrete pillars in the middle of this "lake".

Main Street Bridge from Bonnycastle Park

This wall is at The Forks. The rows of blue tiles show the water levels during the 1950 flood (upper row) and the 1826 flood (lower row). These floods were both before the Floodway was built (man-made ditch that diverts water around the city when necessary).

Notice the red pole/tower in the water. Compare this with the next picture taken during normal water levels in the summer (taken from the opposite direction). The pole is on the far left in the next picture.

The water is already starting to recede, leaving mud and silt behind.

But it's still very high! These stairs lead to the river walk. About three-quarters of the stairs are submerged in water.

Sandbags in preparation for higher water levels

The flood is a tourist attraction

Mr. Canada Goose doesn't seem to mind the flood

deja vu

2009-04-01T23:04:00.001-05:00

Sometimes deja vus increase exponentially....

click here

what else are we missing out on?

2009-03-29T09:58:00.003-05:00

The Lords Prayer translated from Aramaic into English, rather than from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English

O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration!
Soften the ground of our being and
carve out a space within us where
Your Presence can abide.
Fill us with your creativity so that we
may be empowered to bear the fruit
of your mission.
Let each of our actions bear fruit in
accordance with our desire.
Endow us with the wisdom to produce
and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.
Untie the tangled threads of destiny that
bind us, as we release others from the
entanglement of past mistakes.
Do not let us be seduced by that which would
divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate
the opportunities of the present moment.
For you are the round and the fruitful vision,
the birth-power and fulfillment,
as all is gathered and made whole once again.

The Lord's Prayer in Late Modern English,
Book of Common Prayer, 1928

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done,
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

I found this here.

consolation prize

2009-02-25T17:08:00.002-06:00

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion
Is nothing new
Flashback warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories,
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you said
Then you say go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper

lost and found

2009-01-18T20:32:00.006-06:00

Just because I'm losing

Doesn't mean I'm lost

Doesn't mean I'll stop

Doesn't mean I will cross

Lost! by Coldplay

Not all those who wander are lost...

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

from All That is Gold Does Not Glitter by J. R. R. Tolkien

When we lose our way, we pick up the pace.

Pastor Gerald Froese

Lost season premiere this Wednesday, January 21 at 8pm central on ABC

creative life

2009-01-03T13:04:00.012-06:00

As I mentioned in a recent post, one of my new year's resolutions (for lack of a better name, I don't really believe in those) is to be more creative and make more stuff. To start, here are some pix of various things that I've made (or had some part in the creative process) over the years.

This is something I did for my bathroom. Pretty simple, but I like it. Reminds me of seaweed in the rocks at a lake.

Here's a spice cabinet that I bought at a garage sale in high school and re-painted a few years later. I think I intended for it to house little trinkets but I needed a spice cabinet in my new place. It fits perfectly in the niche where I had my spice jars sitting on the counter. And adds a bit of personality to the kitchen.

I used to be really into cross-stitch. These are my masterpieces, the pinnacle of all my efforts. I like them because they aren't your typical cross-stitch patterns with cheesy sayings or cutsy graphics. My mom got them framed for me for Christmas a few years ago.

This is a quilt that my mom made for me about a year ago. I was inspired by the quilts I saw in a touristy shop in Kansas City. I picked out the design and fabric and she sewed and quilted it. We both worked at making it look as random as possible, which is not an easy task! The second picture of it is in its usual state on my couch. :o)

ridiculousness is like wine....

2008-12-28T20:46:00.003-06:00

So, I've been cleaning up, going through papers and throwing out crap lately. Must be the hibernation thing or something. Well, I came across some writing that I did for our school newspaper in Grade 12. It still makes me lol. So I thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Horoscope

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

Michael Jackson will come to your house today and tell you to "beat it". Refuse. You will be glad you did.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Beware of turtles. They will cause many problems in your life if you let them. Do not give in to peer pressure.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Do something outrageous today. Don't eat your lunch in the cafeteria or "forget" to sign out your library book.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

Romance is in the air. Probably with someone named Ivan or Gertie. Play hard to get.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

People tell you your fly is open or your shoes are untied. Pay no attention. Make sure you do your homework.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

Read the comics today. They will offer helpful advice. Pay special attention to comics featuring animals.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

Stay at home today. Remember, home is where the heart is and lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

Watch for falling pianos. An atlas will be very useful today. It will solve your financial problems.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

Today is your lucky day. Make sure you fit that bingo game into your schedule. Be daring. Play more than one card.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

If you play video games, BEWARE! You could be seriously injured by an exploding video game machine.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

Your shoes will cause you problems today. Blisters are very probable. Make sure you are near a good supply of Band-Aids.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 21)

You find yourself sticking your foot in your mouth a lot. Make sure you wash your feet well in the morning. And rinse them well.

Dear Oma Advice Column

Dear Oma,

I am a girl in the seventh grade. I want to go out with a boy in grade twelve, but my parents won't let me. What do you think?

Teeny-Bopper

Dear Teeny-Bopper

What is it with you? Don't you know what is on boys' minds these days? They're only interested in one thing. It shocks me to think of it. But I know these things. They are only interested in whether you can cook good borscht or not. You better keep away from those boys. They are nothing but trouble!

Oma

***************

Dear Oma,

I am writing to you 'cause I want to know what to make for supper. Me and my family are tired of having borscht and bread for supper every day. Do you have any suggestions?

Mennonite Housewife

Dear Mennonite Housewife,

There are many other dishes you could have for supper. A good simple suggestion is faspa. If you are a good Mennonite housewife, you should be able to make faspa. But just in case your skills are not as developed as mine are, I will tell you how to make faspa. You take some fresh buns, jam, cheese, pickles, dainties and cold schenke fleisch. And make sure that the schenke fleisch is rolled up. It's not faspa if you don't have that. Have a good faspa.

Oma

**************

Dear Oma,

Hey man! Chill out! Take some LSD or something. You're too uptight. Hey man! Drugs have really helped me loosen up. They're very hip, happenin' and cool! Hey man! Get into the groove. It's psychedelic. Don't try telling people what to do. It's not cool! Just chill out and let people make their own decisions. They don't take your advice anyway, because it's not happenin'! Hey man! Why don't you retire? You're too old to be havin' a job. Hey man! Chill out and party on! Hey man!

I Lost My Brain to LSD

Dear I Lost My Brain to LSD,

I don't like your attitude sonny! Young people these days are on drugs too much, just like you. When I was your age, we had barn building celebrations and quilting bees. Good, honest, wholesome fun. Now all you young people do is sit around and let drugs take up your time. I hope you smarten up one of these days. What you really need is a good, old-fashioned spanking, sonny!

Oma

a wrap for boxing day

2008-12-26T18:17:00.018-06:00

Now that these prezzies have all been unwrapped (except one), I can post the pix of the wrapping paper I made this year. Yes, I made my own wrapping paper. And it has spawned a new year's resolution: make more stuff and be more creative! I had a blast making the wrapping paper and was quite pleased with the results. I have a few more ideas of things I will make in the coming months and will be sure to blog about them here. One of which already has a hilarious story attached to it of a late-night drive across town to transport hazardous materials! That story shall be posted when the project is complete. For now, here's my lovely wrapping paper!!

2008-12-24T19:42:00.007-06:00

'Tis the season for thinking about others...... although sometimes this gets lost among all the gift getting and gift giving for the sake of impressing others. So, in an attempt to actually think about other people at this time of year, I'd like to send wishes out to two groups of people.

To those who don't celebrate Christmas:

If you celebrate Chanukah, Eid ul-Adha, Yule, Kwanzaa, or another winter festival I sincerely wish you the best times and hope that all your holiday plans go well. If you want to leave a comment and tell me something about your festival or a special way that you or your family celebrates, I'd love to hear it! I understand that especially if you live in a "Western" country this time of year may underline your "minority-ness". If you don't celebrate any winter holidays, I just hope that you have a wonderful day!

To those who have lost loved ones:

The holiday season often underlines the fact that loved ones are no longer with us. We tend to spend more time with family and their presence is missed much more than during the rest of the year. Every time I hear the following song, I think of people who are in this situation. May it speak to your heart as well.

Song for a Winter's Night

(written by Gordon Lightfoot and sung by Sarah McLachlan)

The lamp is burnin' low upon my table top
The snow is softly fallin'
The air is still within the silence of my room
I hear your voice softly callin'

If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon this winter night with you

The smoke is rising in the shadows overhead
My glass is almost empty
I read again between the lines upon the page
The words of love you sent me

If I could know within my heart
That you were lonely too
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
Upon this winter night with you

The fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim
The shades of night are liftin'
The mornin' light steals across my windowpane
Where webs of snow are driftin'

If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
And to be once again with with you
To be once again with with you

no crystal stair

2008-12-17T19:16:00.004-06:00

This has been one of my favorite poems since junior high. I remember choosing it for an assignment for which we could choose any poem. I also remember my teacher talking to me about my choice and being very concerned that I would choose this poem. Wouldn't I like to choose a different one? No, I wanted this one. At the time, I had no idea why it seemed to confuse her so much that I would like this poem. Now, as an adult, I can maybe understand why she didn't think I should choose this poem. For one, what did I know about hardships as a junior high girl living in a small town with family all intact etc.? Another reason she may have wanted me to choose a different poem was because it's a rather short, simple poem (in a non-standard dialect on top of all that) and she knew I was capable of analyzing a much longer, more complicated poem. However, I also was quite capable of figuring out that if I chose a longer, more complicated poem I would also have to do more work!

Mother To Son

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor –
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
‘Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now –
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.

- Langston Hughes, 1922

introversion and extroversion

2008-12-03T21:51:00.003-06:00

I've been thinking about introverted and extroverted people lately. If you are familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality sorter, you'll know that introversion/extroversion is one of four continuums that can describe your personality. The other three are sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/perceiving. Of the four, I think that introversion/extroversion has the most potential for misunderstanings in all sorts of relationships. The other three continuums can affect relationships, but introversion/extroversion IS the relationship. As I think about various friends who have had marital difficulties, or strained relationships with their parents or whatever, I think that the introversion/extroversion element is a big factor in the problems. The extrovert thinks that the introvert is distant or doesn't care or never has time for them. Or worse, that there is something wrong with them and that they need help because they are disconnected from society. The introvert can't understand why the extrovert keeps pestering them and nagging them and wanting so much of their time -- don't they trust him/her (the introvert)?

No one is a pure extrovert or pure introvert. We all have a varying degrees of both in us. Some of us are mostly extrovert or introvert and some of us fall more towards the middle of the continuum, with a little of each. But even those of us who are more 'balanced' can have misunderstandings with another extro/intro-vert. Each of us have different situations or tasks or even times of the year when we are more one or the other.

Extroverts, however, have the upper hand in North America. Extrovertism is valued and introverts are misunderstood or pushed to become more extroverted. But this is not the case in other parts of the world. In France, for example, I would say that introverts are more prevelant than extroverts. Reflection and privacy are valued more than they are here. Perhaps this is why a lot of North Americans have the stereotype in their minds that French people are aloof or snobby or just generally unfriendly. True, if you go into a store, you won't be greeted with the smiles and "Have a nice day!" that you are in North America and particularly in the US. But this is out of an introverted mindset, not out of rudeness.

recent inspirations

2008-11-23T19:46:00.015-06:00

And no one thinks they are to blame
Why can't we see that when we bleed we bleed the same

Map of the Problematic by Muse

God is in the houses and God is in my head

And all the cemeteries in London

I see God come in my garden, but I don’t know what he said

For my heart it wasn’t open…not open…

Cemetaries in London by Coldplay

And I find myself listening closely for the radiance of the stars

I'll keep running, even barefoot, because I can't give this up

And like the moon in the blue sky

I want to embrace my transience and reach out my hand

Kino's Journey Theme Song

excited about apathy?

2008-11-19T21:27:00.001-06:00

Are you excited about the new addition to the dictionary? Meh.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2008/11/17/meh-dictionary.html

video ink blot

2008-11-17T21:44:00.013-06:00

I've been playing around with Adobe Premiere lately. I found a video project I had started a while ago and it just seemed so ridiculous now. The music had been deleted and so I just tossed any old music on it. It worked, in a way -- made it seem very pretentiously artsy. So I decided to make a sort of a mock of those types of films (whatever that is...). But maybe it can also be an exercise in artist-audience collaboration. I didn't bring very much to this video -- mainly just slapped some random things together. How little can an artist bring to a piece so that the maximum onus is placed on the audience to bring their own ideas/thoughts/interpretations? I think I've always liked that sort of art. I want to have the freedom to make my own art in my mind from the piece that is presented to me. I want to participate! I don't like realistic art -- where's the fun in that? The artist sure has worked hard, but has left nothing left for the audience to do.

So here's this little video. What does it mean to you? What experiences can you bring to it? Maybe it's like a video ink blot activity -- it'll bring your subconscious into your conscious.....ooooo......

keep on keeping on

2008-11-16T19:52:00.005-06:00

Keep going with the flow.

Lovers, keep on the road you're on
Runners, until the race is run
Soldiers, you've got to soldier on
Sometimes even right is wrong

Lovers in Japan by Coldplay

"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

がんばってね！

random gleanings from the interwebs

2008-11-10T21:24:00.013-06:00

Here's some random things I've found on the interwebs (LOLspeak for "the internet") recently.

A little linguistic humour....

U2 AND Lego? How could I resist?

Speaking of Lego, did you ever notice how PM Harper looks like he has Lego hair?

From the ridiculous to the sublime.

*copyright note: the creator of the video and the singer of the song are clearly identified at the end of the video. 'nuf said. I also state at the beginning of this post that these are all 'gleanings' from the internet.

who ever invented this? seriously!!

2008-11-07T18:12:00.003-06:00

I would like to know who invented the shoe racks that people have in their entryways. Because they should get an award for DUMBEST INVENTION EVER! Why is this so retarded? Have you ever put your shoes or boots on anything other than the top rack in winter? Yu-huh! You come back and the inside of your footware is filthy and soaking from the snow and yuckiness from the boots above it melting into your shoes. But if everyone puts their shoes and boots on the top rack so that they don't get gross meltage in their shoes, then what is the point of this space-saving device? You can just put your shoes on a mat on the floor and save yourself the $19.95.

worth repeating

2008-10-31T21:11:00.003-05:00

"Perhaps in the soul, as in the soil, those growths that show the brightest colours and put forth the most overpowering smell have not always the deepest root."

-- C.S. Lewis, from 'Til We Have Faces

October

2008-10-28T17:26:00.002-05:00

October and the trees are stripped bare
Of all they wear.
What do I care?

October and kingdoms rise
And kingdoms fall
But you go on

And on.........

October by U2

go with the flow

2008-10-18T18:10:00.004-05:00

The point is, not to resist the flow. You go up when you're supposed to go up and down when you're supposed to go down. When you're supposed to go up, find the highest tower and climb to the top. When you're supposed to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom. When there's no flow, stay still. If you resist the flow, everything dries up. If everything dries up, the world is darkness.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.

The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven...

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (New International Version)

brainstorming about time

2008-10-15T19:10:00.003-05:00

Time waits for no one Time keeps on slipping into the future Tesseract Time travel Time heals all wounds See the future Clocks Watches Persistence of Memory Do you have the time? Overtime Time and a half Time goes by so slowly Time flies Killing time One more time What's the time Mr. Wolf? Live in the moment Waste time Make time

covert op

2008-10-12T13:14:00.003-05:00

The seed that lies under ground in winter is taking root in order to a spring and harvest, though it appears not above ground, but seems dead and lost.

Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Chas E. Cowman

the spice is more than just nice

2008-10-07T17:54:00.006-05:00

Variety is the spice of life. Actually, it's more like the air we breath or the blood that rushes through our veins.

"Where there are few species, like at the South Pole, the ecosystem is fragile. The greater the number of species, the stronger the ecosystem. And the same applies to culture: Monoculture is fragile. If cultural diversity is lost, the human species will become extinct."

-- Jacques CousteauFuture blog topic: Symbols

boredom comes for a visit

2008-10-06T20:23:00.006-05:00

Thoughts running around my head.
Again.
Thoughts running around my head.
Again.
Thoughts running around my head.
Again.
Thoughts running around my head.
Again.
Obsession.

Get out!!

Obsession leaves and takes Passion along.

Just.
Dead.
Silence.

Boredom comes for a visit,
Filling my day with baubles and bonbons.

But listen through the hummmmmm of the radio......

Boredom is not a thief of thoughts.
But a vast field, cultivated, where they can grow.

six billion characters in search of a starring role

2008-09-13T22:42:00.005-05:00

In a cast of thousands -- no, billions -- how many main characters can there really be?

(click to enlarge)

Footnotes:
image from Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
title of blog reference to Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello

what I did on my summer vacation

2008-08-29T19:51:00.005-05:00

This is just one of many things I did this summer:

the 'want to see' list

2008-04-27T14:53:00.002-05:00

In no particular order, movies I'd like to see:

Smart People
THX 1138
Ghost in the Shell
Jumper
Startdust
Everything's Gone Green

what do you need?

2008-04-25T19:36:00.002-05:00

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse.

~Fix You by Coldplay

And you are such a fool
To worry like you do
I know it's tough, and you can never get enough
Of what you don't really need now...my oh my

~Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of by U2

And you'd give anything to get what's fair
But fair ain't what you really need
Oh, can u see what I see

~Stop and Stare by OneRepublic

One of my favorite U2 videos, which is actually the second video for this song. I like it much better than the 'football stadium' version. And this song has been resonating with me lately.

here's to all the broken hearts tonight

2008-04-24T23:17:00.003-05:00

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom

Walk on, walk on
What you've got they can't deny it
Can’t sell it, can’t buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

~Walk On by U2

“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven."

~Matthew 18:18

a spade is a spade

2008-04-23T22:04:00.001-05:00

`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.

`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know.'

`Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. `You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'

`You might just as well say,' added the March Hare, `that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"!'

`You might just as well say,' added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, `that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"!'

`It is the same thing with you,' said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn't much.

~ from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Nobody else here baby
No one here to blame
No one to point the finger
It's just you and me and the rain

Nobody made you do it
No one put words in your mouth
Nobody here taking orders
When love took a train heading south

It's the blind leading the blond
It's the stuff, it's the stuff of country songs

~If God Will Send His Angels by U2

To not forgive is to lack boundaries. Unforgiving people allow other people to control them. Setting people who hurt you free from an old debt is to stop wanting something from them; it sets you free as well. Forgiving can lead to proactive behavior in the present, instead of passive wishes from the past.

~Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

the Spirit has left the building

2008-04-09T19:05:00.007-05:00

I often wonder if religion is the enemy of God.
It's almost like religion is what happens
when the Spirit has left the building.

~Bono

The most striking, resented, and dangerous of Jesus' activities was his opposition to religion as that was understood in his time. This is what led to his death. Religion killed him.

~Garry Wills, What Jesus Meant

The challenge, then, is to find God outside of religion. K-B emailed me the other day and was listing off places that people find God -- from the sublime to the ridiculous: church service/program, a book (Bible etc.), grilled cheese sandwiches, make-up of the atom..... I responded that God must be everywhere and that is why people can find him anywhere. So, you would THINK that it wouldn't be too hard to find God outside of religion since he is everywhere. But in the words of Bruce Cockburn: "But nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight / Got to kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight" (Lovers in a Dangerous Time). And maybe the place that I found God yesterday, or last week or 3 years ago is not where I'm going to find him today. Maybe he is still there, but I can't find him there anymore. It is my weakness that prevents me from seeing God in a certain place at a certain time. Maybe I have found him in religious places at times in my life. I occasionally still do. But I've recognized that I can also find him in some of the most irreligious places.

Hmmm....... maybe I'll go make myself a grilled cheese sandwich.......

bucket brigade of quotes

2008-04-07T18:36:00.007-05:00

I was handed these quotes recently. I thought I'd pass them along.....

How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart, you begin to understand, there is no going back.

There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep…that have taken hold.

~Frodo, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.

~Thomas Jefferson

April 4

2008-04-04T21:50:00.006-05:00

Saw this quote on plaque in a shop today. I really like it. And then the friend I was with pointed out who said it and that today is the anniversary of his assasination. And I thought -- of course! I should know that being the U2 fan that I am: " Early morning, April 4 / Shot rings out in the Memphis sky..." (Pride: In the Name of Love). Which, coincidentally, is wrong. King was killed in the early evening. Bono didn't do his homework when writing the lyrics.

"Take the first step in faith.

You don't have to see the whole staircase,

just take the first step."

Martin Luther King Jr.

the miracle of time travel

2008-03-23T22:43:00.003-05:00

I've been off the blogging circuit for a few weeks -- had a nasty, nasty flu. But now that I'm well again, I think it was good. I think it burned off a lot of other nastiness that had been hanging around. My skin is so soft and everything that was a little out of place is now back in place. I feel like someone hit my reset button. Or maybe did a format/re-install. haha.

Anyway, that is not the main reason for this post. Sometimes a couple of ideas come together in my brain -- ideas that seemingly have nothing to do with each other. Well, maybe they have a little to do with each other. I've really gotten into the TV show Lost over the past couple years. And there is this time travel element to the show. And according to an online theory it might be the main idea behind the show. Read it here if you're interested. Yesterday, I decided to read the resurrection story in the Bible, seeing as it was Easter eve. And I was reminded of some of the things theorized about Lost -- about people showing up and only being visible to certain people and all that. And then I remembered a part of Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle which talked about this phenomena:

And after the Resurrection his [Jesus'] appearances are even more puzzling; at one point he is seen by five hundred of the brethren, but not everybody; in John's Gospel the disciples have seen him twice, and yet when they go fishing and see him on the beach, they don't recognize him. It is even possible that he may have been seen in more than one place at the same time, being even less restricted by time and space than he had been during his mortal life.

Interesting. I also remember reading somewhere (may have also been L'Engle, but I'm not sure) that we as humans used to be able to time/space travel but lost that ability with the invention of mechanical means of transportation (horse and buggy and eventually cars, trains and planes).

Well, something to ponder anyway. I'm sure some of you think that the fever I had destroyed some brain cells and now I'm just talking nonsense. But a lot of brilliant discoveries have been made by people whom the 'population at large' thought were completely off their rockers. Not that I'm proposing any new theories here -- just bringing together a few thoughts from various other people.

cabin fever

2008-03-03T19:33:00.006-06:00

She
She's figured out all her doubts were someone else's point of view.
Waking up this time to smash the silence with the brick of self control.

Are you locked up in a world that's been planned out for you?
Are you feeling like a social tool without a use?
Scream at me until my ears bleed.
I'm taking heed in just for you.

(She by Green Day)

Spring is coming......soon the earth will awake.....

just some fun stuff

2008-02-26T17:42:00.004-06:00

Here's a random smattering of fun and funny stuff:

The Uncyclopedia

The Cubes

Badger Badger Badger

And a couple of Monty-Python-inspired icanhascheezburgers.....

puzzle pieces

2008-02-19T17:20:00.005-06:00

Jigsaw falling into place

There is nothing to explain
Regard each other as you pass
She looks back, you look back
Not just once
Not just twice
Wish away the nightmare
Wish away the nightmare
You've got a light you can feel it on your back
You've got a light you can feel it on your back
Jigsaws falling into places, places

(Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Radiohead)

together we're invincible

2008-02-16T21:02:00.008-06:00

My latest dance was performed this evening at a dance show put on by the studio where I take classes. The show was entitled Missing: Lost Dance Pieces and was an eclectic mix of dances that won't be in our year-end recital in May.

The dance I choreographed is entitled Invincible, taken from the name of the song to which it is performed. The inspiration for the dance came from the books that I read this summer which I realized at some point all had the theme of oppressed people. Among them were: Memoirs of a Geisha (oppression of women in pre-WWII Japan), The Poisonwood Bible (oppression of a woman and her children at the hands of an abusive husband/father; also oppression of the African natives to whom the family are missionaries by the same man) , and Cloud Atlas, storyline 5 "An Orison of Sonmi 451" (oppression of futuristic clones by the humans they serve). Maybe oppression isn't quite the right word in some of these cases, but for the sake of the theme, I'm going with it.

So here's my dance for your viewing enjoyment! The costumes in the dance represent people from different walks of life. I've also posted below the lyrics for the portion of the song I used in the dance.

Do it on your own
It makes no difference to me
What you leave behind
What you choose to be
And whatever they say
Your soul's unbreakable

During the struggle
They will pull us down
But please, please
Lets use this chance
To turn things around
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we're invincible

Together we're invincible

During the struggle
They will pull us down
Please, please
Lets use this chance
To turn things around
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we're invincible

Together we're invincible

jPod for the just-outta-diapers set?

2008-02-12T17:49:00.000-06:00

I came across this while doing some online research at work today. So funny! A very clever ad campaign, for sure! Click on the book and it will take you to the website where you can read the whole book.

8MB of memories

2008-02-11T17:58:00.000-06:00

I started reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown a while ago (never did finish it -- the story bogs down after a while and I lost interest). It's about the US government and encryption and spying on emails and all that. Not too far into the book, as some specific technology was mentioned, I thought to myself "How old is this book anyway??" I looked and it was copyrighted 1998. Ancient history in the world of computers. A couple of weeks ago I watched the movie Hackers on tv. It's a few years older (1995) and absolutely hilarious because it's so out-of-date. I mean, they're giving each other files on FLOPPY DISKS and thinking they're just so cool!!

I know some of you luddites are thinking 'I don't get it. My melon baller is the same as it was in 1950!' Well, some things only make sense when you've grown up with them, I guess. I grew up in a house where we had some of the first PCs around. My dad had a TRS-80 (aka Trash-80) to do the church books on. I don't think most people had heard of a computer at that point. We also had a Commodore 64 for us kids. Oh, but that was after Pong (you can play it here) -- yes we had it! Actually an 'advanced' version that not only had ping-pong, but also squash, racketball, hockey and I think another game or two, which were all very slightly different versions of the same game (which was played on a black and white tv, if you can believe it). And in school we learned to program in BASIC and stored our files on cassette tapes. Classy.

And many years later, we were probably one of the first houses to have access to the internet. And it was SLOOOOOOW. It was on a dial-up modem, of course, that we had to use to make a long distance call to the University of Manitoba, which was the only internet provider at the time. I would make a list of a few sites I wanted to visit and then bring a book with me to read while I waited up to 15 minutes for a site to load! And then sometimes the site didn't exist! I think my dad bought a book from Costco which was about 1.5 inches thick and it was called 'Directory to Everything on the Internet'. Or something like that. Wow. Things change. And technology changes faster than things, apparently.

I'm reading jPod for the second time. It's only about a year and a half old. Wonder how funny it will be in 10 years? I think I'll read Microserfs again after I finish jPod... hmm..... 1995.... that should be quite funny!!!

Speaking of jPod, here's a little gem on the subject of techno-history:

"Dirk, who's a friend of mine from Hewlett-Packard, sent me photos from his trip to Nagoya, using the Kodak EasyShare photo display system. Using its interface, I felt like I was time-traveling to 1999. I half expected a pop-up window to tell me to submit my mailing address so that they could snail-mail me a 56K floppy. And then I got to thinking about it...Kodak still exists? Even seeing its name makes me feel like I'm at a garage sale. I bet they stopped hiring young people in 1997."

failing

2008-02-06T21:39:00.001-06:00

Getting back to my post about wasting time, I've been thinking about one that that isn't a waste of time -- failing. And yet we tend to think that it is. I know I've been known to lament "If only I wouldn't have done (or would have done) this or that -- oh, how much time I've wasted! I'll never be able to do all I want to do now!" But I've come to the realization that failing is how we learn and grow. Without failing, we can't move forward and become all that we are to become. We may not get to DO all that we want to do, but we BECOME all that we are to become.

The following verse has been going through my head lately. It's said by Joseph in the Bible. Not the Joseph in the Christmas story, but the one who had the multi-colored coat (as in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat). He got sold into slavery by his own brothers, eventually rose to power in Egypt and as a result saved his family and many others from starvation during a drought. He suffered many set-backs -- being sold into slavery for one, but also being framed by his master's wife and put in jail. He was also back stabbed by his fellow prisoners and possibly other things which I can't remember off the top of my head. But he became one of the truly great men of the Bible.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.
Genesis 50:20

borrowed words

2008-02-02T22:28:00.000-06:00

I don't seem to have many of my own words for blogging these days. Just bits and pieces of songs going through my head. Maybe a quote or two. So the trend continues.....

This place is not my home
It's got nothing for me
Only leaves me with emptiness
And tears in my eyes

(Gravity by Shawn McDonald)

"The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing." Blaise Pascal

It's not whether you make mistakes, it's how you deal with those mistakes that counts.
(ok, this one isn't borrowed, I said it to someone this past fall)

Lord, sometimes it gets so tough
To keep my eyes on You
When things are going rough
But when I turn my eyes up to the sky
And I hear Your voice it says to me

So child do not be weary with the troubles
Of this world I have overcome

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding
In all of your ways acknowledge Him
And He will make your path straight
Don't worry about tomorrow
He's got it under control
Just trust in the Lord with all of your heart
And He will carry you through
He will carry you through

(Trust by Sixpence None the Richer)

creative kanji

2008-01-31T17:35:00.000-06:00

Over the Christmas hols, I made some greeting cards. My inspiration or starting point, was a set of rubber stamps I bought a few years ago. There are four in the set, each one has a word and the kanji (Japanese character) for that word. At least I hope they don't say something bad in Japanese! :o) I've heard of that happening (products having foreign languages on them that don't say what you think they might say). Well, I'm thinking about starting to learn Japanese (I've wanted to for a long time), so maybe I'll be able to tell you in a while. So I took these stamps and made a bunch of different squares and rectangles with one stamp on each. Different colors of paper and ink. Then I just let those pieces inspire me. Here are some of the results. I also thought I'd try out the Picasa slide show app. Let's see if it works!

inexplicable

2008-01-29T23:19:00.000-06:00

So many things weighing on my heart and mind. So many people that are special to me in one way or another, going through major struggles. But underneath, or overtop, or mixing in amongst the heavy things is peace...... and hope...... and joy..... and strength....... I cannot explain these things or how they got where they are.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Down on my knees down on my face
You just say it's ok
So many days I've thrown away
You just say it's ok
I don't think I could ever repay
Your perfect grace, but it's ok

It's ok, It's ok
It's ok, It's ok
You've become my embrace
Just tell me it's ok

Your precious words intoxicate
A heart that aches; it's ok
You don't recall my past mistakes
You just say it's ok
The human mind can't calculate
Your perfect grace, but it's ok

Even though you've seen a thousand times
I've let you down
You're always there if I should call your name
You're unashamed, unashamed

(OK by Mute Math)

adding to the unexplained

2008-01-28T22:53:00.000-06:00

The day after I last blogged, I got an email from my friend who I had mentioned in the first post that her mom had a tumor on her spine. Turns out it wasn't a tumor, just an infection and she's now had surgery and is recovering nicely. :o)

But the list of people that rest on my heart and mind is actually longer than it was before. More people who have situations in their lives that threaten to un-do them in one way or another. But these people all have faith that totally amazes me. I'm sure in their times alone they sometimes doubt. But I'm still amazed at how they believe that everything's going to work out. That there is something to be learned or gained in their struggles. I hope this faith continues to be given to them.

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And let it break

(Yahweh -- U2)

walk on.....

2008-01-25T19:53:00.000-06:00

Random bits of songs running around my head. Thoughts going out to friends in various degrees of emergency in their lives. Thought I should post these -- unexplained again.....

There are many prodigal sons
On our city streets they run
Searching for shelter
There are homes broken down
People’s hopes have fallen to the ground
From failures

This is an emergency!

(Tears of the Saints -- Leeland)

A drowning sorrow floods the deepest grief,
how long now?
Until the weather change condemns belief,
how long now?
When the night watchman lets in the thief
Whats wrong now?

(The Saints Are Coming -- U2 and Green Day)

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on, walk on
What you got, they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight...

(Walk On -- U2)

One day you'll look back, and you'll see
Where you were held now by this love.
While you could stand there,
You could move on this moment
Follow this feeling.

(Mysterious Ways -- U2)

the best quote ever! EVER!!!!

2008-01-24T18:59:00.000-06:00

I know who I am. No one else knows who I am. If I was a giraffe, and someone said I was a snake, I'd think, no, actually I'm a giraffe.

- Richard Gere

unexplained part 2

2008-01-17T18:35:00.001-06:00

This afternoon, one of my friends that I mentioned yesterday whose mom has been diagnosed with cancer emailed me this:

My mom was told that the doctor can only feel ONE tumour, and she had had lots and lots back in October.

she has a cT scan coming up soon to see just what is there. But the doctor says that a miracle has been done in her life.

so hopefully it all continues!

Wow.

unexplained

2008-01-16T20:56:00.000-06:00

"All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay."
Romans 8:21

I have a lot of people on my mind and heart lately. Two of my best friends have a mom who has been diagnosed with cancer. A friend close to my age has been diagnosed with cancer as well. Another friend just told me yesterday that her mom has a tumor (they don't know yet whether it is cancerous or not). Other friends are going through issues that, while not life-threatening, threaten to undo them in one way or another.

My heart is heavy and I don't know what to say. I'm not even sure why I'm blogging about this. One of those things I just felt compelled to do. Why today and not another day, I don't know.

"And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words."
Romans 8:26

You might remember the dance I choreographed a couple of years ago -- Don't Hold Your Breath, set to the song Fix You by Coldplay. The lyrics seem appropriate in some way to this post and yet I can't explain why either. Sometimes you just have to leave things unexplained.

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse?

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worst?

Lights will guide you home,
And ignite your bones,
And I will try to fix you,

High up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

a complete waste of time

2008-01-14T21:46:00.000-06:00

About a year ago, I was contemplating what things are really a waste of time. I thought I had blogged about it at the time, but a search the other day told me otherwise. So what is a waste of time? Probably everyone you ask would say something different. I googled 'waste of time' just to get a bit of an idea of what things people think are a waste of time. Number one answer (survey says!) is games. I also found: blogging, art or anything creative, gym memberships, corporate meetings, arguing, recycling, open houses (when selling a house), watching TV. Speaking of games, apparently there was a video game in the mid-nineties called Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time. Sounds like fun! :o)

Some of these things are considered wastes of time because they don't accomplish their intended purpose. Such as having an open house when selling your home. If it doesn't help you sell your house, then it would be a waste of time, in regards to selling your house.

But what about games, art and creativity or even watching TV? Are they really wastes of time? Seems that people think something is a waste of time if it doesn't accomplish anything. Do games accomplish something? I think most games keep your mind exercised and alert. That's not a waste of time. Art and other creative pursuits? Also exercise your mind and in addition nourish your soul and help you deal with emotions. Watching TV or movies? I think that we all need to rest our bodies and our minds sometimes. Depending on the programs you watch, you could also be exercising your mind or getting some good story time (see my post on story).

Madeleine L'Engle in her book Walking On Water has this to say about wasting time:

But thinking time is not wasted time. There are some obvious time-wasters, such as licentious living, drunkenness, adultery, all the things Paul [in the Bible] warns us about. A more subtle time-waster is being bored...If we allow our "high creativity" to remain alive, we will never be bored.

What do you think is a waste of time? Or what do you think is NOT a waste of time, that most people would think is?

deleted thoughts

2008-01-11T22:10:00.000-06:00

I was thinking about all the words and phrases and sentences that I type in emails and other cyber-communication and then delete before I hit 'send'. And wondering what words are typed to me that never reach my eyes?

*stares pensively into outer space*

memories of summer

2008-01-04T20:01:00.000-06:00

I realized the other day that I could upload video on here without having to put it on youtube first. So I thought I'd give it a whirl. I meant to post this video/slide show in summer after I had made it, but somehow it never got here. I find that pictures taken in summer mean so much more in January anyway! It's like they're from another planet!!!

::resolution::

2008-01-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

the end of religion

2007-12-29T12:25:00.000-06:00

"Two thousand years ago God started a revolt against the religion He started. So don't ever put it past God to cause a groundswell movement against churches and Christian institutions that bear His name. If He was willing to turn Judaism upside down, don't think for a moment our institutions are safe from a divine revolt. I am convinced that even now there are multitudes of followers of Jesus Christ who are sick and tired of the church playing games and playing down the call of God. My travels only confirm that the murmurings of revolution are everywhere. I am convinced that there is an uprising in the works and that no one less than God is behind it."

-- Erwin McManus, as quoted in The End of Religion by Bruxy Cavey

dogs will be dogs....

2007-12-22T16:19:00.001-06:00

...even when they're just cookies.....

(sniffinating the buttocks.....)

knowledge is power

2007-12-15T14:19:00.001-06:00

If knowledge is power, why have we not figured out a way to harness this power and plug into the power grid? We could get someone who is very smart -- perhaps Steven Hawking -- or maybe a whole bunch of people who know a lot of stuff, such as university professors. Then we put them in a room and hook up their brains. Then we will have power. Forget wind power. What does the wind know? And if we want to market this knowledge power as environmentally friendly, we'll just make all the professors wear green shirts.

ammendments

2007-12-07T23:41:00.000-06:00

Been thinking about a few previous posts lately. And I have a few things to add.

Burnout -- I used to think 'Even the best people get burned out.' Now I think that ONLY the best people get burned out. The mediocre and the bad people don't care enough to get burned out. Not that every 'best' person gets burned out. Some learn to balance their lives before burnout comes along. But having been through it, I can more easily see when someone else is suffering from it. Doesn't mean I know what to do. All I can think to do is leave them alone. Maybe that is the best thing.

Story -- I've heard that when people are in a lot of pain (not just 'hangnail pain', but 'in-the-hospital-on-morphine pain'), that hearing someone tell or read a story helps them deal with the pain. I don't think this is an escapist thing. There are some books or movies that don't have much of a storyline. Those may be escapist. But a good book or movie with a proper storyline, or even someone telling the story of what happened to them the other day, this has healing properties, I think. A story can be entertaining, but not all entertainment has a story. Although they also say 'Laughter is the best medicine'. I think there's something to that too.

too close to home

2007-12-06T17:03:00.000-06:00

By now I'm sure you've heard about the shooting at a mall in Omaha, NE yesterday afternoon. The 'too close to home' part for me is that I've been to that exact mall many times when visiting relatives in Omaha. In fact, I was in the exact store where the shooting took place, just this summer. Creepy. None of my family members were in the mall when the shootings took place, and as far as I know, they didn't know any of the victims.

I guess I could get all philosophical about tragedy and safety and death and so many other ideas and issues that this brings up. But I won't. That's all I have to say right now.

a year in blogging 2007

2007-12-04T22:56:00.000-06:00

Last year around this time, I did the 'year in blogging' meme -- first sentence of the first post of each month. Here's this year in review.....

January

Happy 2007 everyone!

February

Now that I've got your attention -- the spice I'm refering to is variety... as in, "variety is the spice of life".

March

How Old is Your Inner Child?

April

To Whom It May Concern,

May

I've always been "jealous" (not sure if that's really the right word) of people who had a favorite film director.

June

What's the last thing that goes through a bug's mind when it hits the windshield?

July

I must admit, I've been looking at the sky a little more often and a little more intensely since the tornado in Elie last weekend.

August

On Saturday, a bunch of friends and I went up to Gimli for Islendingadagurinn, which is the Icelandic Festival in Icelandic.

September

Making a healthy version of rice krispie squares by substituting bran buds and honey.

October

The funny English language:

November

This year for Halloween, I decided to see if I could make a costume without buying anything.

December

I started reading The Gum Thief, the latest release by one of my favorite authors, Douglas Coupland.

things that make you go 'hmmmmmizzle'

2007-12-03T18:43:00.000-06:00

First there was Pig Latin. OK, maybe not first, but it's been around for a while. Now it's the '-izzle' stuff. But today I made a connection between '-izzle' and something that a college drama team did when I was in high school. They had this one skit about a guy going hunting with his dog Rover. But it was all done in something similar to '-izzle'. So, Rover became Rozzle-fover. And Rozzle-fover said 'Barzzle-fark! Barzzle-fark!' And the huzzle-funter shot his guzzle-fun. You get the idea. Me and my friends loved that skit and talked like that for weeks afterwards. Notice the similarity between this and the '-izzle'. I just wonder if there is a connection? Did the '-izzle' start in the Canadian Prairies? Wouldn't that be hilarious if that skit was the beginning of the all the ebonics and hip-hop talk? Fo shizzle!

evolution and gum

2007-12-01T17:17:00.000-06:00

I started reading The Gum Thief, the latest release by one of my favorite authors, Douglas Coupland. He has such a unique, yet familiar, spin on things. Barely a few pages into it, I find a blog-worthy quote........

Speaking of biology, I think cloning is great. I don't understand why churchy people get so upset about it. God made the originals, and cloning is only making photocopies. Big woo. And how can people get upset about evolution? Someone had to start the ball rolling; it's only natural to try to figure out the mechanics of how it got rolling. Relax! One theory doesn't exclude the other.

a spot o' tea

2007-11-19T18:48:00.000-06:00

I love tea. I'm one of the few people I know that prefer it over coffee. Actually, I can't stand coffee. I had cafe au lait one time, which is 2/3rds milk and I kept adding packets of sugar until I got to packet #15 and realized I still couldn't drink it cuz it was just too awful. Kudos to all of you who can actually drink the stuff!

Back to tea. One of my pet peeves is the phrase 'herbal tea'. It's NOT TEA, PEOPLE!! If it's not made from the tea plant -- not tea. There are only 4 types of tea -- black, green, white and oolong. The difference is in how they are processed. The reader's digest version is that black and oolong teas are oxidized (black for a long time, oolong for a short time -- how ironic is that?), green tea is withered and 'cooked' in some way and white tea is steamed. If you want a more lengthy explanation of this, I found this site. Herbal 'tea' is either real tea that is flavored with something else or just a hot beverage that comes in tea bag.

Anyway, I had white tea for the first time this past weekend. It was really good! I had been wanting to try it for a while and suspected that it would taste similar to green tea. But it didn't! It actually tasted more like black tea but I think a bit sweeter because my usual amount of sugar was a bit overkill.

There are quite a number of health benefits to drinking tea as well. Google it and you'll find plenty of sites that give you the particulars. Some that I picked out are preventing cancer, heart disease and tooth decay. But note that adding milk cancels out any of the benefits.

So that's my little lesson on tea. I hoped you have at least learned that HERBAL TEA IS NOT TEA!!

capitalism with a capital

2007-11-18T10:08:00.000-06:00

With Buy Nothing Day coming up on Friday, I thought it would be a good time to put to screen some thoughts that have been going 'round my head for a while now. I can't promise this will the most organized post I've ever written, but here it goes....

I guess the main question going around in my head is -- what can be done to get away from capitalism/consumerism/corporationism? What can I do in my own life? What will happen when this this societal system collapses? Is it on the verge of collapse? From what I've read, systems tend to collapse shortly after their 'peak'. I would say the peak of capitalism was the 80's with the general trend of excess and the 'me generation'. Well, I guess that's more than a main question. I warned you this wasn't going to be very organized.

Capitalism has become a monster. There is no system of society that does not have it's bad extreme. We tend to associate imbalance with other systems such as communism. Any political science major will tell you that communism, as a theory and in the right hands, could be a good system. Capitalism can be a good system too, but I think it has deteriorated into something as sinister as communism is in other countries. Maybe we don't see it as much because we are in it.

Which brings me to another point -- corporate brainwashing. I've seen this in several situations recently and when you really think about it, it's quite disturbing. People tend to choose products based on the 'propaganda' put forth by a corporation, not on the quality or other aspects of the product. Sometimes this is because they don't know enough about a product to make an informed choice and the advertising (or lack thereof) is all they have to go on.

There's more stuff swimming around my head, but let's make this personal -- how can the average, everyday sort of person protest capitalism, or even prepare themselves for its fall? I don't know that 'Buy Nothing Day' is really the answer. I don't think it's totally useless to participate -- if you use it as a day to reflect on your lifestyle and what changes you could make. But what will really make a difference? I'm not sure, but I have some ideas that may or may not be viable:

$ Think about what you're buying. Are you buying something because you need it? Want it? Think you might need it in the future? Not even sure why you're buying it? I'm not saying we shouldn't buy things we want, if we are financially able to do so. But I think a lot of times, we buy things we don't even want!

$ Buy quality items. Think of how much less you would spend if you bought a quality item that cost a little more but would last longer rather than a cheapo that will break down and have to be replaced. On the flip side, if you know you're only going to use something a few times, buy the cheapo version, or rent or borrow it. Another plus to this is that there is less waste (by throwing away less broken or used up items).

$ I had another idea, but I've lost it now. I'm sure you have your own. And I don't think that we all have to do the same things.

Are we on the verge of the end of capitalism? The verge of something new? Is it, in the words of R.E.M "the end of the world as we know it"? Do we need to "go away and dream it all up again"?

Ramble, ramble, ramble (I warned you)..... How to conclude this little session of rambling? I'll guess I'll send you off to see a movie -- an info-tainment documentary -- called The Corporation.

fish story

2007-11-12T18:33:00.000-06:00

So, after Adam the fish died a few weeks ago, I was left with 3 fish. A gold barb, a guppie and the Chinese algae eater. I like the algae eater, but the other 2 -- pppppthhhpppp. The guppie was in a fish bowl because he was terrorizing the other fish. I had tried to put the gold barb in there too, but he would NOT be caught. Oh well. I put the guppie back in the tank after Adam died. Then he disappeared. I thought the gold barb ate him. A few days later I got up the courage to... ahem.... dispose of the gold barb. I came back to the tank later and guppie was swimming around. Then last week, I bought 2 new swordtails. I wasn't sure how this was going to work with 2 males in the tank (the guppie and the new swordtail) but I gave it a try. Soon after I put the new fish in, guppie started terrorizing the swordtail. So I filled the fish bowl with water and put him back in the fish bowl. Later I came back to the bowl and there were all these bubbles all over the guppie and he wasn't swimming very well...... OH NO! I had forgot to put the conditioner in the water! I quickly put some in and he started to revive, but then started swimming on his head ... and then on his back... and so on. Quite funny, if you don't realize that means they are quite sick. I went away for the evening and when I came back, he had kicked the bucket.

So all that to say -- I have new fish! And I bought a new castle-y ruin thing for them too! Here's some pix.

New swordtails!

New tank set up, with the new castle thingie.

And just so he doesn't feel left out -- Dirt Devil, the Chinese algae eater. Look how big he is!

What the.....???

2007-11-08T17:29:00.001-06:00

File this one under "Things that you won't find on godtube.com". I don't know whether to laugh, cry or run away in fear. The worst part is I know people like this!!

totally tubular costume, to the max

2007-11-01T17:39:00.000-05:00

This year for Halloween, I decided to see if I could make a costume without buying anything. Well, I succeeded and had a major blast! Doing my hair and makeup was waycool (when is scrunched hair going to make a come back?).

Check out my totally rad makeup!

Safety pins in my jeans and 'slouch socks' (sorta)

The piece de resistance -- my belt that is one of the few things I actually saved from the eighties.

Am I a bodacious babe or what?!?!

the big fishtank in the sky.....

2007-10-26T17:10:00.000-05:00

My favorite fish, Adam, died last night. He was my first fish, was a gift and was named after my favorite member of my favorite band, so he was pretty special. Now he's swimming in fishee heaven, his body laid to rest in the murky Red River. He was a red velvet swordtail. He was pre-deceased by his recent swordtail mate, about 30-40 brothers and sisters, about twice as many children and probably his parents as well. He lived approximately 1.5 years, not reaching his life expectancy of 4 years. The thing I'll remember the most about Adam is how he would race over to my hand when I would move it by the tank and try to mimic the movements I would make.

Adam the Fish
May 2006 - October 26, 2007

these are a few of my favorite things

2007-10-21T12:17:00.000-05:00

Trogdor is awesome. And so is I Can Have Cheezburger. Check out all their majesty.

relish fork

2007-10-17T20:05:00.000-05:00

Ya, that wouldn't feel too good.......

meanderings on the web-brick road

2007-10-16T18:48:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, while I was looking for something else, I found a list of '100 Undiscovered Websites', published by PC Magazine. I bookmarked it and went through them all on Sunday afternoon. There are some real gems in there! Among them is my new addiction, a 'game' (if you can call it that) called Boomshine. I find it very relaxing, but it's the type of thing that you'll either find relaxing too, or it'll make you want to pluck your eyeballs out with relish forks. So give it a try, if you dare..... muhahaha!

to dream, perchance to sleep

2007-10-04T22:02:00.000-05:00

The funny English language:

If you can do something really well and can do it basically without thinking, you might say you can do this in your sleep.

If you want to do something, but there's very little chance it will ever happen, someone might say to you -- in your dreams!

So, why is doing something in your sleep basically the opposite of doing something in your dreams!?!?

better than cheezburger....

2007-09-29T00:22:00.001-05:00

Cheri's Psychology Textbook, Chapter 1

2007-09-24T20:56:00.000-05:00

Intuition. A hunch. Gut feeling. Discernment. Perception. Sixth sense. Many names -- but what is it? What should you do when you have a hunch? Why do we even have gut feelings? I've been pondering this for a little while now. One thing I came upon in my musings is that maybe intuition is just a different way of thinking. Some people's brains are wired more analytical/chronological and others are more intuitive/random. Let me explain what I mean by that. An analytical thinker collects information consciously. They notice something and they are aware of it. When they think they have enough data about something, they make a decision or conclusion based on the information they have. An intuitive thinker, on the other hand, collects information subconsciously. They just go about their daily lives and have no idea what they're all picking up. Then one day, their conscious minds just spit out a 'conclusion'. Seemingly, it comes from nowhere. And in some cases people think this is 'special knowledge' or ESP or something like that. But I think that it is just a 'backward' way of thinking -- compared to an analytical way of thinking. The conclusion comes first and then the details. Like when I was doing math in elementary school, I'd sometimes come up with the right answer, but had no idea how I got it. But math being math, the teacher wanted me to 'show my work'. Grrrrr.... That's probably why I was never good at math.....

So is the intuitive thinker always right? Do they have a 'better' way of thinking? Not at all. When a 'conclusion' comes to their brain, they have to then dig around in their subconscious to figure out what that was based on. Because it was based on something -- things that this person hadn't noticed consciously til then. And some of it may be wrong. So a 'gut feeling' is more like a warning signal to find out if the thought is right or not. I know I'm rambling on horribly here. Another thing about intuitive thinkers is that they get overwhelmed easier than analytical types because their senses are constantly taking in everything! At times, they seem to just shut-down and not be noticing anything -- 'circuit overload' (as my mom calls it). Or maybe just processing all the bits and bloops that their brains have collected. I hope this all makes sense. Maybe I, too, am just processing the data my brain has gathered. I'm not sure if I've dug up all the information that lead me to this conclusion. But I hope this makes you a little more understanding of others and of yourself.

falling leaves

2007-09-22T16:14:00.000-05:00

fall
automne
aki

outono
Herbst
осень

Fall is a great time of year in Manitoba. It can still be pleasantly warm, but there are few bugs around. The trees turn to beautiful colors. If you can just keep your mind off the fact that this means horrific winter is coming, it's an awesome time of year. It's a time that begs to be documented, so I went for a walk the other day with my camera.....

Occasionally I see a neighbourhood cat on my walks. This one came trotting down the sidewalk toward me, meowing a happy greeting like I was its best friend returning from a long trip. Who says cats aren't friendly?

commercials (new and old school)

2007-09-20T18:31:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while there's a TV commercial that I just can't wait to see over and over again. The latest one I love is the one for Future Shop with the guy and his robot. And today I was reminded of one that I loved when I was a kid -- Bonkers! I found the Future Shop one on youtube, of course. I found one of the Bonkers ads, but not the one I REALLY liked with the lady talking about her son. Oh well. Here are the two ads:

additions

2007-09-19T19:01:00.001-05:00

A couple of additions to my last 2 posts:

1. Mute Math covered the Transformers theme song for the soundtrack for the movie that came out a few months ago. Just thought you'd like to know.

2. I read the quote that I posted yesterday and then the paragraph that precedes it and if I would've posted that as well, I probably wouldn't have had to do all that explaining after it. So here is the WHOLE thing that I should've quoted in the first place:

"But the joyful, imaginative, impassioned energy dies out of us very young. Why? Because we do not see that it is great and important. Because we let dry obligation take its place. Because we don't respect it in ourselves and keep it alive by using it. And because we don't keep it alive in others by listening to them.

For when you come to think of it, the only way to love a person is not, as the stereotyped Christian notion is, to coddle them and bring them soup when they are sick, but by listening to them and seeing and believing in the god, in the poet, in them. For by doing this, you keep the god and the poet alive and make it flourish."

more than just soup

2007-09-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

I'm reading a book right now called 'If You Want to Write'. I personally do not want to write, in particular (although I'm not doing too badly with it right now), but this book is about WAY more than writing. The sub-title gives a better idea of what it's about: 'A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit'. There's SO much good stuff in there. I would compare it to Walking On Water by Madeleine L'Engle (who just died last week... she was in her 80's). Here's one of the first bits that stood out to me.

"For when you come to think of it, the only way to love a person is not, as the stereotyped Christian notion is, to coddle them and bring them soup when they are sick, but by listening to them and seeing and believing in the god, in the poet, in them. For by doing this, you keep the god and the poet alive and make it flourish."

In my own words, this means that the way to really love someone (and I have been asking myself this for a while) is not to do nice things for them or try to run their lives in the name of 'helping' them or to give them well-meaning but ill-placed advice, but to LISTEN to their stories. And this can be in conversations, but it can also be in the art (whatever medium they enjoy - painting, dancing, websites, whatever) that they make (no matter how amateur or professional). By listening to people's stories, we give them dignity. And that is worth a whole lot more than soup!

Mute Math!

2007-09-16T12:37:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, when Pandora was still available in Canada, I was listening to it and this band kept coming up -- Mute Math. I had never heard of them before, but I liked their music. A little later, Jon H mentioned them and that he thought they were really good too. Well, this past Tuesday, a bunch of us went to see them at West End Cultural Centre. The band is definitely the caliber that could play a MUCH larger venue, but I guess they're just beginning to be known around here. I found, through a little googling, that 3 of the 4 members used to be in a band called Earthsuit. The name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure if I've heard any of their songs.

Anyway, the concert was AWESOME! These guys are super talented and have some amazing stage antics, including the singer who did a somersault over his keyboard at one point. They also have some strange but very cool instruments which they use for a song or too, which you shall see in the pictures below. I predict that the next time these guys come to Winnipeg, they'll play the MTS Centre. Talent-wise, they'll go far, as long as no political, business-y crap gets in their way.

First, some shots of the general stage. They had some cool backgrounds and video, projected on 6 sheets of plywood painted white, which sort of gave the effect of a vidi-wall.

The lead singer is very dynamic and a true performer!!

The bassist played a double-bass for Stare at the Sun.

Their stage antics included the drummer doing a solo with one of his drum on the keyboard case.

Lead guitarist played his effects board for one of the songs. I didn't know you could do that!

Lead singer with an instrument which I found out is called an Atari. It makes a cool 70's sci-fi sorta sound.

I never thought I'd see the day -- the KEYTAR has made a comeback!

Stall Out is one of my favorite songs. The stock footage of a bridge being ripped apart by an earthquake (among other images) added to the haunting beauty of the song.

After the concert, we went to Baked Expectations and saw a poster for the concert!

Randomness is very hard to achieve

2007-09-08T18:37:00.000-05:00

My mom is making a quilt for me. It'll be nice to curl up with in winter while watching movies or reading and won't be as 'sparky' as my acrylic yarn afghan. It's a mish-mash of various fabrics, but there are 4 of each square with consists of two fabrics that are cut diagonally. It's quite tricky to make sure they are all random and that none of the same are side by side or creating noticeable patterns. It reminded me of a line from the movie 'The Science of Sleep', which I watched a couple of weeks ago and has become one of my all-time favorite movies. The line is from a scene is the two main characters, Stephane and Stephanie, are taking a picture of a fabric boat that Stephanie, who is a fabric artist, has created. Stephane is arranging colored pieces of cellophane around the boat to represent water. Stephanie says that he needs more white ones in a certain area. And then this quote, which I love....

Randomness is very hard to achieve. If you don't take attention, the order comes immediately back.

Putting the Scissors Down

2007-09-05T21:09:00.001-05:00

The makings of a poem have been wandering around my brain the past few days. I sat down just now to write down a few ideas and suddenly it was on the page! So here it is....

Putting the Scissors Down

I'm putting the scissors down
I see you struggle, I sense your pain
Out of your cocoon, I want you to fly!
I want to help you, like the moth to the flame
Free you from your self-made prison

There!

But you emerge weak and staggering
Unable to fly, unable to walk

What have I done?

I didn't know the struggling would make you strong
The pain would move you along

So I'm putting the scissors down
It hurts me to see you struggle
I'm impatient to see you fly
But I must emerge from my own cocoon
By watching you struggle with yours
And putting the scissors down

ideas that didn't work

2007-09-04T19:44:00.000-05:00

Making a healthy version of rice krispie squares by substituting bran buds and honey.

and NO, I didn't actually try this... :oP

the view from the outside

2007-08-24T18:34:00.000-05:00

Last week sometime, I was watching a Madonna special on TV. I really wasn't watching it that closely, just had it on in the background. It alternated between a song from one of her concerts and a bit of a documentary of her and her family and touring life. At one point, she was talking about her marriage to Guy Ritchie. She had this to say:

"There is no such thing as the perfect soul-mate.

"If someone and you think they are perfect you have better run as fast as you can in the other direction.

"Your soul-mate is the person that pushes all your buttons. The person who pisses you off on a regular basis and you make you face your s**t.

"It is not easy having a good marriage but I don't want easy. Easy doesn't make you grow or think. I thank God every day that I married a man who makes me think.

"That is my definition of true love."

I never thought I would get a morsel of wisdom from Madonna, but never say never, I guess!! It shed some light for me on something me and some other single friends have puzzled over. And that is -- how can a couple that seem so PERFECT for each other get divorced? I've seen numerous 'perfect for each other' couples get divorced. I've seen others get divorced too, but none are as puzzling or disheartening as the ones that everyone can see are just made for each other. From Madonna's statement, it seems that if you marry your soul mate, you'd better be prepared to grow and be changed. And some people don't want to change. And I can see that if two people are soul mates, they will cause each other to change. And I'm not talking about the girls who say that their boyfriend/fiance/husband is 'raw material' and that they can change him into the guy they want (not sure if guys say something similar -- I've only heard girls say it). I think that if two people are soul mates, they will cause each other to grow and change for the better just by each person being who they are.

So, that's my view from the outside. I guess my soul mate, whoever and wherever he is, is in pretty good shape from all that running he does to get away from me so that he doesn't have to face his s**t.

:oP

Le Petit Prince

2007-08-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of "The Little Prince"? It's a famous children's story in France -- part of their culture, the way "The Wizard of Oz", for example, is part of ours. The last time I was in France, our choir did a show themed around this story and so it has become part of my own individual culture too. Here's one of my favorite lines (and is one of the main lines of the book):

Voici mon secret. Il est tres simple: Tu ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.... C'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante.

Roughly translated, that means:

Here's my secret. It's very simple: You don't see well, except with your heart. What is essential is invisible to your eyes.... It's the time that you wasted for your rose that make your rose so important.

Gimli (the town, not the LOTR character)

2007-08-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, a bunch of friends and I went up to Gimli for Islendingadagurinn, which is the Icelandic Festival in Icelandic. PD kept trying to say the name of the festival in Icelandic. Not an easy task, but I she got the hang of it, according to our friend Geoff who is Icelandic.

There were many sites to be seen around the town. I had never been to Gimli, so it was all new and exciting for me. Here's a few general shots of stuff around the town.

On a grassy hill, they had some authentic Icelandic tents set up and people in period costume doing old-timey stuff:

Oh look! A peeping Jenn!

There also was a sand sculpture contest on the beach. Here's a few of the ones I thought were the best:

And here's some more photos of us hanging around....

Near the end of the day, Jenn saw a toy car in the grass. She picked it up and it was a Transformer! Must be a good omen, or something. I asked my Transformers-freak brother today what the name of it was and it is called Jazz. Even better.

Mrs. Goosen: Part Deux

2007-07-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

If you were reading my blog around this time last year, you may remember a post about Mrs. Goosen. It was all quite funny. Well, this year me and K-B have been to the Fringe a number of times and wouldn't you know it -- Mrs. Goosen was everywhere we went! Strange how you can run into this stranger everywhere you go. Me and K-B started speculating what would happen if one of us would actually meet this stranger somewhere, say, in a small group at her church. Or if he would be the friend of a friend or something like that. What would we do? We wouldn't be able to contain our laughter and wouldn't even begin to be able to explain why this was all so funny!

fringe-alicious

2007-07-27T21:25:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's that time of year, folks. The Fringe Festival! Thought I'd give you my reviews so that if you're in the area, you have at least some ideas for a show or two you might want to catch this weekend. In no particular order.....

#1 Mozart: Ze Komplete Hystery
Fabulous show! One-man show with the guy playing Mozart himself, come back from the dead to set the record straight about his life and death. And to give us his take on all sorts of modern things from Manitoba's slogan to our new-fangled keyboards. By far the funniest Fringe show I've seen this year, and maybe even of all time.

#2 Mothers of Invention
This was ok. It was about on par with a mediocre SNL skit. The idea was clever. One woman played 6 different characters (plus a few more if you include the video clips). The story was basically about "New Foods" (ie. genetically altered) in the future (?) where eating a banana will give you supernails and eating corn chips will make you smarter. I guess I didn't care for it because I didn't like the "talking to people who aren't actually there" part of it. And it seemed like it was supposed to be funny but it wasn't that funny.

#3 Private i
This was a contemporary dance show with Jolene Bailie (local dance artist). I've been to her shows before and this was the one Fringe show that I didn't want to miss. The show was a good fit for the Fringe because it had lots of speaking in between the dancing. I would prefer no speaking when I go to a dance show, but I understand that at the Fringe people need it to be a little more 'theatrical' than dance-y. Not my favorite dance show of all time, for that reason, but it was well-executed. And the theatrical parts were excellent and funny at times, although a little 'affected' as my mom would say (ie. not natural, but maybe that was the point).

#4 If Tap Shoes Could Talk
This was great! This show also combined dance and theatre, but in a much more natural way. Has sort of an 'old movie' feel to it, like Breakfast at Tiffany's or Rear Window (they even make reference to the latter). A two-person show, but they each played several different characters. Wonderful storyline and great characters!

#5 Lucrezia Borgia
This was by the same people as 'Conclave: The Musical', which I saw last year at the Fringe. This was a much more serious play, although it did have its funny moments. VERY well done. I think the best part was the sets. They consisted of 6 'stone' arches on wheels where were moved into a myriad of different formations to portray different settings. They also had curtains in the archways which were changed up to suit the scenes. A live orchestra (albeit small) also added to the excellence of this show.

culture shock?

2007-07-23T20:17:00.000-05:00

Last week I was down in the states visiting relatives. To me, it mostly seems like home and I don't notice any huge differences. But every time I go, I pick up some minute differences, such as:

- If you can't finish your meal at a restaurant and want to take the rest home, they'll bring you a box and you pack it up. In Canada, they take the plate away and bring you the food back, already packed up.

- All straws come in wrapping of some sort, not already in the glass, like here.

- The piece of paper that you get at the end of your meal to tell you how much to pay is called a ticket and not a bill.

- You can buy alcohol at grocery stores and gas stations and probably some other ridiculous places. So strange to see the person in front of me at the grocery store buying a 2 litre (or what is it? half gallon?) of bourbon. For those of you 'mericans reading this, here we can only buy booze at the liquor commission. Yes, we are communists.... :oP

And here's a fun (dumb?), little trivia question for you:

Missouri is the:
a) Show-Off State
b) Show-Me State
c) I'll-Show-You State
d) Show-and-Tell State

between a park and a green space

2007-07-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was that Live Earth concert thinger. I watched a very brief portion of it. But it reminded me of a blog post that I've been wanted to do for some time now. Hopefully all the pieces that have been buzzing around my head will fit together here.

I've been wondering how much of the whole global warming thing is really legit. The media has taken to using fear tactics so much, that I'm not sure what to believe. I remember writing a paper on 'the greenhouse effect' (as it was called back in the 80's) and the conclusion of my paper was that it was all a load of bunk. Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't be taking care of the planet and using less stuff, throwing away less stuff etc. , or we'll end up with the great garbage avalanche of 2505 (watch Idiocracy if you don't know what I'm talking about).

There are many things that we're told we should do to 'prevent global warming' or at least take care of our planet, if global warming is bunch of dodo. Don't drive your car as much. Use re-usable grocery bags. Use less electricity (which I think doesn't really make any sense in Manitoba because we have one of the 'greenest' sources of electricity). These things may all be good, but are they really making any difference? I think we can only make a small difference at the consumer level. The big corporations also need to do their part. One thing they need to do is to actually provide us as consumers with choices and products that really WILL make a difference. An example of this is in a movie I watched recently Who Killed The Electric Car?. It's a documentary in the style of Bowling for Colombine. But a little low on the entertainment value compared to Michael Moore's films. It's worth a watch, anyway. In the movie, they show that there was an electric car (entirely electric, not a hybrid) on the market in the 90's. I think they said it was only available in California, but that a good number of people were leasing them (they were only available for lease). After a few years, the manufacturer went and took them away from all the people leasing them and crushed the cars. All of them. Some reasons given were that the oil companies and car part companies would go out of business if these cars ever caught on. (Electric cars have very few parts, unlike their gas-fueled counterparts)

So we are between a rock and a hard place. Or a park and a green space, as it were. Many consumers want to do their part but are unable to make any significant difference because the big corporations will only provide options that are going to make them money. But will pay lots of money to advertise that the onus is on us as consumers to 'save the planet'.

Well, thanks for listening to my little soapbox rant here. Just my perspective. And just one point in the huge topic of global warming, consumerism, media manipulation etc. etc.

more than meets the eye

2007-07-07T09:54:00.000-05:00

So, I went to see the Transformers movie on Monday. Which you already know, if you read my last post. It was kinda random that I went -- some of K-B's friends got a bunch of tix and wanted her to come and she asked if I wanted to come and I thought it would be kinda fun. And the movie was better than I had expected. I laughed out loud quite a bit and I don't mind the 'superhero' formula movies. In fact, of all the movies like this that I've seen (Spiderman, Superman, X-men etc.) this is probably my favorite. Probably has to do with the fact that my brother was (and still is) a HUGE Transformers fan and so all the Transformers stuff just seeped into my subconscious when we were kids. I remembered most of the theme song (which is not played at all in the movie, I was sad) and the name of the main 'good Transformer' - Optimus Prime. But as the movie went along, I remembered a lot more stuff. So it was sort of a nostalgic thing for me.

Later in the week, I read an article about how the guys of my generation are getting to see their childhood heroes made into movies -- Transformers, Spiderman etc. But that us girls aren't getting the same attention. I started thinking -- what typically girl shows did I even watch when I was a kid? I don't remember watching Strawberry Shortcake or My Little Pony -- but those were a little bit behind me anyway. My mom suggested Cabbage Patch Dolls. Was there a show of that? I remember watching Smurfs and Care Bears. But neither of those was only for girls -- they were for either gender. But even if they made a movie of say, Cabbage Patch Dolls, now -- would girls my age go to see it? I highly doubt it. So, the movie-making people are smart in making the guys movies and not the girls' -- when it come to nostalgia over childhood toys and tv shows. Maybe girls tend to get more nostalgic over the teenage years. What if they did a Duran Duran movie? (my generation) or New Kids On the Block? (generation just behind me) Would we go to see that? Maybe it's that the world has changed more for girls than it has for guys -- the old stereotypes for girls were only beginning to be dislodged when we were kids and now we're well away from that. So the old stuff doesn't hold that much appeal. Or maybe I just don't like old stuff and maybe other girls my age would like a Cabbage Patch Dolls movie?

a smattering of photos

2007-07-04T20:18:00.001-05:00

My Canada Day long weekend in pictures.....

It was closing weekend of Jazz Fest and so there were free concerts in Old Market Square. I spent a lot of time in the area, but didn't really end up listening to a whole lot of music....

Saw this sign while wandering all over downtown with my friend Anthony who was in town for the weekend. Hadn't seen him in 9 years, so it was good to catch up! (My caption for the photo -- Because you just never know when Smoke'n Bob is gonna show up!)

We also hung out at the Osborne Street Festival, where there was a Chinese dancing lion who went all over the street and interacted with the crowd and other performers. Here he's trying to join the hard core band.... haha....

Sunday was Canada Day so I went to the obligatory fireworks with 'the gang'. Lots of fun hanging out, but the fireworks were 'meh'.

Monday, me and K-B went to the Transformers movie with some of her friends. Before we met up with them, we had some ridiculous adventures, of course.....

looking to the sky

2007-07-02T13:22:00.000-05:00

I must admit, I've been looking at the sky a little more often and a little more intensely since the tornado in Elie last weekend. For those of you that don't live in the area, Elie is a 30-45 minute drive from my place. Too close for comfort, especially when Manitoba is not especially know for having a lot of tornadoes.

Looking at the sky can be an indicator of what is going to happen. Certain cloud formations signal the likelihood of a tornado or thunderstorm. There are old sayings that tell of weather predictions such as: 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at morning, sailor's warning.'

I think there are also 'cloud formations' in society too. Ways of thinking that aren't necessarily bad, but warn of unhealthy things to come. Unlike the weather, we can probably prevent it rather than just be prepared for it, if we are aware of what is happening.

The way of thinking that I have become aware of in the last little while is what I think may become 'the new legalism' if it is not brought to light now. I was brought up in a church subculture where smoking, drinking and dancing (among a few other things) were the 'really bad' things that people would judge people on. In other words, if you did these things, you weren't really a Christian. While this has mostly fallen away, I see the seed for a 'new legalism' to spring forth in the not so distant future. I have a number of friends and acquaintances that live in the inner city and/or are very involved in charities that work with inner city and other low or no income people. This is awesome. Most of them are very passionate about their lifestyle choice and their work (whether it is paid or volunteer). The leader singer of my favorite band is also very passionate about being an advocate for the world's poor. I love the passion that all these people have for their favorite causes and I hope that they continue to do what they are do and go on to do more!

My problem or 'warning' is that sometimes I see *some* of these passionate people make people who are 'called' to other things feel like they are not 'good Christians' if they are not involved in some sort of ministry to inner city people. Or even that they are not 'responsible citizens'. Now that I think of it, this does not occur only in Christian circles. I've had many a 'guilt trip' put on my because I buy a piece of clothing from a store that is rumored to have its product made in sweatshops in 3rd world countries (which is whole 'nother blog in itself).

So what the heck is my point in all this rambling? I do not in any way want to say that we shouldn't take care of the poor, whether they are in our own city or across the ocean. I sincerely hope for the day when wealth will be more evenly distributed. And I applaud and admire anyone who is passionate for this cause. But this is not me. I do what I can, but it's not my main focus in life. I'm more passionate about seeing the arts developed and encouraged.

My point is that we need to be careful not to replace one prison with another. We all need to follow our paths in life and encourage each other to do the same, without placing our path on everyone else.

but do the clouds converge?

2007-06-28T20:42:00.000-05:00

So, I finished Cloud Atlas and returned it to the library on time. I had to read most of the last 3 chapters pretty fast (ie. uberskimming). There weren't as many connections between the 6 stories as I had hoped. Or maybe I missed them because I had to read it so fast. I kinda skimmed the last 1/4 of the book just looking for the 'connections'. Oh well. I liked the theme of the book though, at least the one I picked up on. The theme that I found was about the hierarchies that we make in society and how the upper strata is apt to abuse the lower stratas for their own gain. There was some imagery in the last chapter about the stronger feeding off the meat of the weak. But that one person can make a difference in fighting this oppression (you're only one drop in a massive ocean, but the ocean is just made up of millions of drops). At least it's not made of drips! Although there are some in the bunch.... Now, the question is, are they in the upper or the lower strata? Let all the drops fight the strata system! (I just made that up -- pretty good, eh?)

Would I recommend Cloud Atlas? Maybe. It's worth a read, although parts of it are hard to get through. Make sure you get Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. There is another book called Cloud Atlas by another author. It might be good too, I don't know.

What I found the most interesting was the vocabulary that the author made up for the 'near future' chapters. Here are some of the words I picked up:

ford - car
starbuck - coffee
handsony - cell phone or PDA
sony - laptop
kodak - printed photo
nikon - camera or video camera
solars - lamps
facescape - plastic surgery
disney - movie
exxon clouds - exhaust
judas - betray

To close, I'll leave you with one quote from this book. In context, it was pretty mundane. Out of context, it's a thinker....

"The sacred is a fine hiding place for the profane."