Monday, December 29, 2008

The Long Post, Goodnight

Hey Folks,

Well it's been nearly a year. My last post was near the end of March. The Keckventure has been on rails, fallen off of rails, and gone through all sorts of changes. I'll attempt a semi-quick update, bring everyone up to speed on the things that are my life. Then I need to advertise in order to get people back reading.

The first: I'm no longer a vegetarian. This will come as a shock and disheartening to some I'm sure - but for myself, it just was not practical in the long run, for several reasons. One of those being bacon. Just trips you up sometimes. Also with the weight loss concern, it was intelligent to get a more consistent source of protein in my diet. It was primarily a health choice in any case, and from that experience my diet has improved drastically, my diet is miles away from how it used to be, I am far less picky and my palette has also remained thusly expanded (did I just use the term, 'thusly'?).

The next: I now live in Halifax. The Keckventure - which is loosely defined as the random events that effect my life, which mostly occur in the movies and not in an actual person's life, but somehow still happen to me - Came with me. The primary Keckventure occured concerning the circumstances that brought be to Halifax from Antigonish. I had to change cities in three days. I got a last-minute call from Nova Scotia Environment for an internship on the Friday, and started work on the Monday. It was a crazy move, and thankfully I had people to rely on in Halifax to move in with and start this internship and move forward in my career. It was a good internship and I learned a lot over the two months there, as it ended in September.

Afterward I still needed to work while searching for careers in my field (If anyone has an inside scoop on an aquatics sector opening, let me know). So I now work at the front desk of the Westin Nova Scotian Hotel. It's a good job right now, great staff and it keeps me going while living in a fantastic city.

While moving, I impressed my then, new girlfriend. We've been together for six months now, and it's a wonderful relationship. At the time of my move, however, we were dating for all of two-to-three weeks at the time of the move. However, she has now moved to Halifax as well, and so all is well again. I actually can't wait to get back to Halifax to get my christmas gift. lol.

The Sadness: My grandfather, aka Dadda, aka Roland Wood, passsed away on December 19th. It's been a rough Christmas. We've all been there for my grandmother, aka Momma, whose now in Kingston for a bit at my Aunt's house. The whole family was back in the old house, and we the cousins all stayed with Momma all the time in the house that has been the family house since the sixties. The funeral was beautiful, and he had a Masonic Service, which is what he would have wanted. Truth be told, we have it on good authority that this was the most well-attended Masonic Service that most of the people had ever attended - thus was the sphere of respect and brotherhood that Dadda instilled in others.

He was a man who respected others and held him self with the greatest of poise and dignity. A true gentleman. It really is the hope of myself and indeed of everybody that we can measure of the half the man that he was in his life. More stories will come of him later as it becomes easier to speak of him in life and the time of celebration of that life continues.

Anyway, That's a quick update. I'll be bringing some stories into further issues of the Keckventure from him and from the past year. There are a lot of new people and new situations that will definitely require backstories. A lot can happen over nine months I suppose.

Also, stop by my friend Ally's new blog, The Neighbourhood Zombie Watch. Ask Ally is on a hiatus at the moment, so she started up some new stuff. I'll post a link soon so you can take a peek at that.

Cheers all

Friday, March 28, 2008

Water Water Everywhere?

Well no according to the UN. It was passed today that while Water is universally recognized as a need for human health and development, it will not be recognized by Governments as a basic fundamental human right.

What does this mean? Well if water was a basic human right, then everybody would have the right to clean, fresh water for bathing, drinking and cooking. At the very minimum, you're looking at under 20 liters per day for an individual to survive. In some impoverished countries, people are surviving on far less than that per household, nevermind the individual.

You can read the press report here from the UN itself.

This means that water, that basic necessity can be commodified. Packaged off and sold, moreso than it already is. As Canadians the primary concern would be bulk water trading with the United States, which could technically be allowed through the agreements held in NAFTA.


This comes in time for the Harper Government to claim victory, and the Liberal's were actually behind them in this regard. It consistently chips away and breaks down my faith in our Government and our Intergovernmental systems. I don't want to sound like I'm dissenting, as I still hold faith in democracy, but we have going on here is not democracy. These are decisions that go so againt the common sense of what should be happening in our World. It makes one feel like business interests really do have a stranglehold on our Governments and the economy and the bottom-line are the real guides to our society, which is crumbling at its foundations.

In the press release, they use language such as "measures worked against the independence and self-determination of people." They argue that this contravenes initial parameters set out by the European to protect personal and National freedoms od determination. Which I'm all for - every nation and every person should be able to make their own future without persecution from internal and external forces.

However, when it comes to the essence of life you cannot put a pricetag on that. I may be one who sees resources from a management perpsective, but it is a multi-lateral view, realizing the multiple needs that water gives, and not only from a human perspective. We can't lock all the water up in tanks and dole it out to the highest bidders. Our watercourses, rivers, lakes, swamps and other systems are vital for our planets survival for us and all species.

All this on the wake of 2008 being the Year of Sanitation, which is supposed to supply have the World with adequate water by 2015. These decisions seem to be going against such ideals that are set out with no plans on proper implementation.

It just infuriates me, and I apologize to my dedicated readers as my blog becomes more and more political and radical, but these are really issues that bear at least as much importance as issues in Afghanistan, Iraq or the Alberta Tarsands and they do not get the media coverage they should. Read today's headlines and you won't find this anywhere in them.
Anyway I am out for tonight. Please take part in Earth hour tomorrow night. It is a very important symbolic event and should be a lot of fun.

Cheers all

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Beijing?

I've been loosely following all of the Olympic Noise concerning the Summer Olympics in Beijing this year. There have been reports of violence in the streets, people being locked up if they are in anyway dissident to the rule of Chairman Mao, and 30 page contracts that media representatives are being forced to sign in order to cover the Games.

So far it looks a mess. Speaking just environmentally, the athletes competing at the height of summer in one of the smoggiest cities on the planet are going to have a hard time. I wouldn't doubt if some come out of this seriously compromised simply due to air quality.

And now, a report is coming out from the European Union that the member-states should seriously consider a boycott of the opening ceremonies in protest. This comes with the support of 'Reporters without Borders'. The United States has also shown sentiments of hesitation, while not being quite as forthcoming with saying they would potentially boycott the opening ceremonies.

This most recent news is coming as a response to the violent protests that began last week in Tibet. Depending on the reports you believe, as few as ten people or as many as 100 people have been killed since the violence broke out. It is to the point where the Dalai Lama is considering stepping down as Political Leader in exile because of it all.

I wonder if Canada would take such steps as well, perhaps even with a boycott of participants as well, reminiscent of when the Soviet Union didn't participate in the Olympics.

That being said, I don't want to act as if I'm forgetting that athlete's have been training all of their lives for these events. it is important that they be allowed to compete, and that the spirit of the games is kept alive - but its a tough pill to swallow when we have to ignore and pretend not to notice the human rights atrocities going on in that part of the World in order to do so.

It's an interesting situation and it will be extremely captivating to see all that comes out of these Games. It's the first time the media will have that kind of access in China, and despite contracts and signed agreements I'm sure stories will come out of there, the likes of which we cannot even imagine yet.

Cheers all

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

30 000 lbs of bananas

Hey Folks,

In case you don't get the reference I'm on a bit of a Harry Chapin kick at the moment.

I wanted to say one more thing about the conference this weekend: APICS, as well as being an environmental studies conference has also struck upon becoming a low-impact conference, especially in the way of food services. All of the food was either vegetarian or vegan, thus reducing the carbon footprint significantly. They also centralized it, having everything walking distance, especially for those staying in hotels who had come from different schools to partake. It was very proactive of the organizing team, I must say.

Other than that, I think I am going to digress about folk music for a minute. I've been listening to some Harry Chapin, singing about love and lost love and family and life in general. It always warms my heart to hear him sing. One of those artists who really strikes the home cord. And if he were still alive today I'm sure he'd be an adament environmentalist. Folk music has always seemed to me to be attached to green movements, as it just feels organic. Accoustic guitars, the shaggy hair, soft, mellow tones. It's beautiful. I think of Chapin and I think of Simon and Garfunkel, and I know my more musically inclined friends and critics are going to attack me for missing other obvious folk singers, but these are just a few of my personal favorites, and music is a very personal thing, so there you go.

To me though, their songs of love, life, heartbreak, etc. They really connected in an intelligent and lyrical way. Harry Chapin would tell a story through his songs that could move one to tears. As I've said many times, my life is a Paul Simon song. There's a song written by him that attaches itself to just about any important event or person in my life. When the movie of my life is made, it will be set to a Paul Simon soundtrack. lol.

Anyway, the tired musings of a student I suppose. Little sleep last night, and early morning this morning are condusive of that. Though a nice ramble on simple topics is always nice, and I'd suggest everyone do it from time to time.

Well, I'm heading down to Scrampton Pennsylvania. Or maybe 16 Parkside Lane. Haven't decided yet.

Cheers all

Monday, March 10, 2008

Conferences and Birthdays

Hey Folks,

Well it's been a while and it's time for an update. Been in one of those 'I just don't have the energy or time to do this' kindof slumps, that I once again need to get myself out of. Sometimes and uphill battle, but people comment and apparently read this, so it is up to me to continue writing it. lol. And I do enjoy it when I actually do it.

Anyway, first order of business. Toby, my computer, is broken. Which is one reason why I haven't been online as much or updating as much. 2nd order of business, I spent a week in Ottawa for Spring Break as well, which gave me sparce internet connections for most of the week.

Some Cheers to Ottawa however. The airport has some decent vegetarian options and there is a restaurant called Zak's which allows you to order any burger on their menu as a veggie burger. Made my life, I assure you. Ottawa has a bevy of different green and vegetarian and even vegan food places that are just fantastic.

A jeers to Toronto Airport though. I had a stopover, and unless I wanted a tiny salad, or some rich bread-product from Starbucks I wouldn't have been able to eat anything. All sandwiches with varying meats on them. I was not impressed. Well, there was Tim Horton's too, but still. Are these the only options I'm allowed? Even the Halifax Airport has better options than that.

On to some more naturalistic things: This weekend, aside from it being my birthday and International Women's Day, it was also the APICS Conference for Environmental Studies. I re-presented my groups poster on UK Coastal Zone Management and there were a slew of talks regarding climate change, geologic models for temperatures, and tonnes of data on trees on Saturday. A particularly enlightening talk was one discussing tree migration over the next century dependent on different concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere. It was amazing to see how the Acadian Forest, like an animal, would migrate North as global temperatures rose. The gentleman from Mount A had some very interesting animated maps plotting it all out.

There was also a keynote speech by the most darling woman of my life, Elizabeth May. lol. I've beamed about her before on this blog, but as leader of the Green Party she steals my heart. As an environmentalist, who through classes discussing the validity of climate change science, the concept of nature and Canada's climate plan (or lack thereof) its easy to get depressed by it all. But whenever I see Elizabeth talk, or get an email from the party talking about the accomplishments that are occuring on local and regional levels it brings my spirits back up and reminds me its not too late yet and things can still be done.

It was also my birthday this weekend and thanks to all who came out and all who wished me well on my 23rd! As per usual it was a drunken debauchle that cumulated in a terrible hangover. Every year it happens and every year I say never again. We'll see how 23 goes however though. This is a year of big change. I'm finished school as of May, have to start looking for a job and I'm looking inward as well to see what changes can be made. The diet, the exercise (which is a bit on-again, off-again depending on scheduling and craziness) and now I'm looking a bit into the spiritual as well. It's all kindof interconnected, the body, the mind and the spirit. And I mean spirit in a rather ambiguous sense. Raised Anglican, strong connections with Buddhist teachings, I'm kindof all over the map and am really rather moderate on the religious stance. We all want peace and good will, we're all just going through different channels to find it. No worries.

Anyway, on that topic I've begun reading the book put out by the Dalai Lama himself, 'How to View Yourself as you Truly Are' and though it sounds very self-helpish, kindof like 'In Praise of Slow (another fantastic book based on a lot of introspection and viewing of yourself and your life - In Praise of Slow discusses the advantages of a slower lifestyle - I'll discuss it later on and its effect on my life). But back to the Dalai Lama and his teachings. It really speaks to me and of a selfless doctrine, realizing the connectivity of everything and how to view the world in an unexaggerated sense. We all have flaws and qualms, but this book shows how through meditation an contemplation we can understand the World and be calmer people, truly embracing the ideals of peace and love and harmony.

But I'm starting to sound preachy. If you're into meditations and contemplation, its a great book with a lot of great thoughts and ideas. If you'd prefer a story of elephants and impossible love, get 'Water for Elephants.' I have a love for elephants, Jumbo was killed in my hometown (another story for another day) and this book is brilliant, recalling the days of the Circus on trains in the 1930s. I'd suggest it to everyone.

Anyway, that's enough for one post.

Cheers all

Monday, February 18, 2008

The Bloggers Blitz

Hey Folks,

Today is a blitz day, as I've made many notes to blog but then didn't make any posts to go with them. My Professor declared in class today that our journals are due, and so now I must post many of my ideas and thoughts in order to make the midterm grade. Bit of a slip on my part, pretty much. But we'll see how it goes.

First off, I'm finally going to fill everyone in on my outdoor wilderness survival adventure. This was absolutely insane, by the way. A group of over 30 students from StFX, and several individuals from the community came up to this area set up by the Fresh Air Society and run by Antigonish native Jeff Gallant. A nice man, taught us what to do and later on helped us with our obviously lacking fire skills.

So its a Saturday - one of the rare ones where I'm not heading to work, and I wake up and it is pouring out. Not only is it pouring out, but Antigonish is a sheet of ice. However, the email said we were going rain or shine, so I geared up with all my supplies: back pack, garbage bags, shopping bags, duct tape, peanut butter sandwiches, nuts, knife, two coats, three tuques, two pairs of gloves, waterproof matches and several pairs of socks.

I make it to campus to find out that we're not leaving til 1 PM and we've lost about half the people that were supposed to come due to them being wusses and not wanting to go out in the rain. So 1 PM comes around, and we're on our way. It has stopped raining and the sun even came out a few times. It's not so terribly cold so we're in good spirits even if there is a bit of a dampness clinging to everything.

This is where the first surprise comes in. As they take us out for a 'walk' around the property, they're actually sending us to sites and making us believe it is where we'll be spending the night. So Megan, Lise and I find a high-point in this place that I can only describe as a bog and begin to build.Lise Putting touches on our first shelter

We were later told our shelter basically sucked. Too high, not enough wind protection, no ceiling. Basically we would have been cold, damp and unprotected. Learning curve though. We were collected after 45 minutes and told that this was just a test phase to see what people would do in 45 minutes. We were critiques then brought back to be taught a few lessons - now fully primed to listen.

We learned things such as successful fire burning, shelter creation and body heat maximization. 2 rules that must be followed in order: Minimize Heat Loss and Maximize Heat Gain. Heat loss is something that can be prevented with dry clothes, or wool clothes (wet wool holds heat so much better than wet cotton - still not comfy, but warm), wearing a hat (your hands are cold because your head is uncovered) and through isometrics. You don't want to work so much that you sweat, but when you're in for the night and cold what you do is tense your muscles for about 15 seconds then release and repeat. It keeps the muscles active and warms you at the same time.

Shelter Creation: After our first failure we became superb shelter builders. We were given a tarp to help us out (something I will carry with me if I ever head out into nature again). With use of our supplies, like my knife, some duct tape, the garbage bags and natural elements such as snow, bark, branches and leaves we were able to develop a fine shelter that kept us elevated from the ground and block wind on all sides.
our shelter from the sideview on the lieu side of a fallen tree. The root structure made one of our walls.

Together, the three of us huddled in here and attempted a fire. It was a disaster and we wound up smoking ourselves out of our shelter a multitude of times. We couldn't even get a proper fire started until Jeff came out and started it for us. After that we were able to keep one going until about 3 AM, but wound up losing out because with everything wet we couldn't stop the smoke from burning our eyes and throats. I think I suffered from smoke inhalation while in there. My eyes burned for days afterward. By the end we were cuddling with candles burning trying to stay warm until the morning, which we met with little success. We were all cold and sore, but we survived the night.

This holds relevance to ideas of 'Woodcraft' camping that we read about in-class. A huge method of camping these days is 'Leave No Trace' which is technically good for nature. But this concept of leaving nothing behind fits only in the local sense. On an overall environmental scale there is more damage that can be seen. By taking all of the products and gear that have been made through these different resources out into the wilderness with you, you are in fact creating a larger print than if you take a tarp or canvas, hatchet and some twine. It is the battle between too much and too little gear to bring into the woods and the amount of impact you would put onto it. I'm all about as little impact as possible, but with the realization that we are still part of nature and thus have an effect on it, albeit in the most part it is extremely large. I see no real danger in small fires and borrowing little parts of nature in order to have a true down-to-earth experience with out planet, rather than merely experiencing it through tent-flaps and toting in a heavy propane stove.

Anyway, just my views. And there are levels of gear that are proper and improper depending on the types of camping you do. Even after the misery that was our winter survival, I am confident that I would do better and be able to go out and survive with minimal impact while still gaining that connection with nature and my surroundings. I still find things like Survivorman extremely fun to watch and have desires, after more training, to be able to wilderness camp like that.

Cheers all

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Coles Notes Vegetarianism

Hey Folks,

Alright, so we've got some new readers, including one of my Professors, who is actually attaching some grades onto a few of these posts. Those that pertain to nature and sound a bit more academic mostly. The water ones, are just interesting events in my life. No real connection.

Anyway, in response to my first natural article he gave a couple questions/ideas that I should talk about. He asked about my vegetarianism. I pointed out that he could read all the many wonderful, expansive posts that I have, but figured I could do him a favor and do a Coles Notes version.

It all started in October when I was bored. School was getting me down, work was sluggish, my life was at an all-around crash point. I needed a change - and a positive one at that. Luckily for me, I read an Organic Vegetarian Blog. I initially found it a couple years ago accidentally through the other blog that I read, by Mike Elgan, The Raw Feed. A Tech blog, where "culture meets technology." A blog/newsletter that I've been reading since Highschool.

This blog is written by Mikes wife Amira. A wonderful woman whom is really an inspiration. October is Vegetarian Awareness Month. And for the month she offered a challenge - for meat eaters to go vegetarian for 3 weeks, and for vegetarians to go vegan. She touted the health benefits of it all, and as a proper deal sweetener, offered two free phone sessions with her and all the email support necessary to outline how to properly and healthily make the transition.

Well I'm not one to back down from a challenge. My diet was ridiculously unhealthy before. Pop, chips, fast food, etc. Things that are basically hardly edible and leave one feeling heavy and tired. I never ate vegetables or anything healthy really. I look back and find it amazing I was able to function as well as I did back then.

And so I did a complete overhaul. Went grocery shopping and spent around $200. Completely restocked my cupboards with healthy food and not a single piece of meat in sight. The first few days were HELL. My body, such as it was, had become used to its unhealthy diet. Switching over, not only to a vegetarian eating regime, but also to a healthy one, caused my body to purge out the toxins as well. Not a pleasant experience. It was as if my body was shouting "What are you doing to me?!"

However, with Amira's support and the mentality that I was challenging myself and couldn't quit, I persevered. After those first couple days and into the end of my first week, my body regulated and I found I was actually liking the food I was making. Having cut out all meat also meant I basically shut down my options for eating out at fast food restaurants. I was cooking more at home, and being creative. Without meat as your staple, you have to figure out what the focus of your meal will be. I developed a taste for peppers and for new spices and textures. Foods that I formerly shied away from I now embraced with fervor. With every grocery shop I tried to pick out something new and interesting to try in a new and interesting recipe.

It was in this time, after switching, that I began noticing more when it comes to commercial agriculture and the meat and dairy industries in general. I have a couple of rants concerning dairy and eggs especially in earlier posts that most will remember. It was becoming such that at the end of my three weeks, I couldn't in good conscience go back to being a standard meat-eater. For one, it would hurt my body to do go back to my former diet, now that I had adjusted to eating healthier. For two, I was becoming more and more aware of the ethical and moral implications. The treatment and slaughter of standard farm animals (organic does not mean ethically treated) was weighing on my mind. For three, my carbon footprint diminished greatly being a vegetarian. No longer were vast tracts of grazing land needed for me to survive, and no longer were cows emitting methane on my behalf. Finally, for four: I now had a column in the school newspaper and this blog. Now, if I were to give up after 3 weeks that would have been fairly disappointing for my public, now wouldn't it?

And so, here I am. Approximately four months into being a vegetarian with less than a dozen slips in all that time - some purposeful, some not. Varying from marshmallows to bacon bits to chicken nuggets. All in all, I think I'm doing pretty well.

And that is why I'm a vegetarian.

Cheers all

Water

Well the Water is back.

And it was quite the experience. The landlords called me back up a bit later in the day, and came on over to take a look. Andrea said later that when she heard them she was like "Why didn't you just wake me up, I knew how to fix this from last time." Last time occurred before I lived there.

Anyway, so the landlord comes, and he checks it out - and good thing we didn't try to fix things because the pipe leading the water into the house by the pipe in the tupperware cupboard is not only frozen, but also ruptured. Thankfully, the water inside is frozen so we're not ankle deep in freezing city water.

And so, enter Gus the Plumber. Nice guy. You can tell he's been plumbing all of his life, family business probably been in the Antigonish area for generations. He came in, they cut out a length of pipe, replaced it and placed a pressure valve in as well. All told, from the time I left a message at 10 AM to the time it was fixed, they were done and cleaned up before my meeting at 2 PM. Not bad for a Sunday.

And so we have water again and are thriving once more. Though living in a house with three girls, if I get the shower last I still have basically no hot water left.

On the topic of water and local water supply however, I do have to send out a warning from some information I gathered earlier on in the week. As it turns out, Antigonish with its municipal water system has asbestos-lined pipes. Not so toxic as breathing it in, but still pretty toxic. So I'd suggest getting a Brita or better yet, though with risks of Bysphenyl A's, get bottles. And go for the bigger, refillable bottles to save plastic please.

Cheers all

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Water?

Hey Folks,

I have a few other more academic posts regarding what I've been reading and researching and some other fun ideas and memories, but for right now I need to talk a little bit about renting and housing problems.

I have a the flu, and am slowly recovering. What really helps is nice, hot showers and drinking lots of water. Except that as of about 3 AM, water ceased to come from our taps. I was very confused. Thankfully I had a bottle of water from inventory earlier in the day.

The water still is not back, the landlord is not home, and it's not an overall city problem. The guy with Public Works said my pipes are probably frozen. Makes me wish I knew more about the plumbing systems - like where the water enters the house. Makes me also wish I had a blowtorch if I could find said entry to melt the ice so I could take a shower. Though I'm sure there are a variety of consequences that would come from that.

Well - I think I might be calling the City again. Or perhaps my father, as he would know these kinds of things. It's just amazing. We are so dependent on water and yet it can get stopped up like this and we don't know what to do. It seems one of those essential things one must learn while living in a house. Looks like I'm going to learn today.

Cheers all

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Nature Films?

Hey Folks,

Alright, our investigation into nature continues. Tonight, on the good ol' CBC I watched a segment of the 5th Estate. On tonight's special, entitled 'Cruel Camera', the investigators were focusing on the treatment of animals in the realm of cinema and television.

The segment that truly caught me was that on Nature Documentaries. I am a huge fan of nature documentaries, and LOVE Planet Earth. David Attenborough is my hero (he's the narrator). Countless hours of joy have been accumulated with that series.

Without much surprise, I discovered on this show, that the Disney Corporation was huge in making these documentaries, which still air, using domesticated animals, playing them off as wild. On top of this, a famous scene of a polar bear sliding down a hill actually took place in a studio where they dropped the cub down the hill. Also, a scene with Lemmings jumping over a cliff, despite the fact that it was filmed outside of lemming territory and lemmings actually don't jump off cliffs. It's just an urban legend.

David Attenborough, thank the Lord, is one who doesn't show up on any of these lists who uses domesticated animals in his filming - except for a segment on the birth of Polar Bears, which was shot at a zoo - but for the purposes of being able to safely show a polar bear birth, which is not possible in the Wild. It puts both the polar bear cub and the cameraman at risk that way. He goes on to explain how we wants to give the truth in his documentaries, which is often difficult to do. Thus Planet Earth taking 5 years to make ( I recall a making-of section in one of their sections where one of the cameramen spent over 100 hours waiting for a bird of paradise to do his mating dance thing).

The show also exposed, in graphic detail, the cruel treatments that are afforded these animals who look so cute, cuddly and take on humanistic traits onscreen. In class we have been tackling this idea of human morality and judgment superimposed on the animal kingdom. It seems that films and TV help to continue this notion of our assumptions on the animal kingdom rather than just appreciating them in their natural habitat

Well that's it for this post. Cheers all

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Au Naturelle

Hey Folks,

Some pre-explanation before the actual assignment. Professor Bantjes, feel free to scroll down from this part to where I start my actual assignment, marked with a red underline.

So, on to explanation. As it turns out, technology and class have collided in an environmental course of all things. Indeed, by using the internet we are technically saving paper (unless we print) and thus very much helping the environment.

In this way, Keckventure (as I have renamed it) is becoming a journal of sorts, cataloguing personal experiences with nature, while developing new ideas about the natural world and our human connection to this. My regular readers will know that I already hold deep concern for this, with the rights of animals and the way in which people are not connected with food. Our food connection and our nature connection are closely linked in my mind, and so this next journey that I'll be cataloging should be enlightening for all.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Experience with Nature

My earliest memories when it comes to nature are intertwined with fishing. Whether in the summer, onshore or in a boat, or in the winter through a hole in the ice, I can remember getting up early, getting my gear together and heading out to the lake or stream.

Fishing connects me with my father, was a conduit for the continuing
friendship with one of my oldest friends, and was and is just plain fun. My parents divorced at an early age and fishing was really a time where my dad and I could just sit out, be alone and have some proper father-son bonding. There's really nothing quite like relaxing in a 10-foot aluminum boat, drifting with the bobbing waves of a remote Northern Ontario Lake. If it's a very calm day, you can hear the machinery of the mine's underneath East Bull Lake.

It was up here that I learned how to properly cast an open-faced reel, how to portage, and how to clean a fish. I am now a vegetarian, but it was in this time t
hat my first feelings for animals developed. An appreciation for the animal that had given its life to be our food. There is more of a connection when you catch the animal that will become dinner, a respect even.

Moreover, Northern Ontario is still one of the most beautiful basically untouched landscapes out there. Aside from the miner's underground and the loggers heading further North for old growth trees it is untouched except for the occasional hunt camp. Up here with the bears, deer and moose.

For a truly different experience I suggest that everyone go ice fishing at least once in their life. This is spoken by someone who knows first-hand how it feels to go through the ice. First off, check with local people to make sure it's safe. Just because you see a shack out there, doesn't mean it's safe. The local nut job might just be out there for a laugh. I would suggest waiting for at least a foot thickness of ice.

The best time to go is in March, where the air temperature is warmer but the latent lake temperature is still cold enough to maintain the ice. You can hang out in your snow pants and a sweatshirt and really enjoy the sunshine. It's also a time to appreciate the artistic side of nature. Forests and lakes in the winter bring out so many stark contrasts and lines and the sun glinting off snow and ice is just fantastic. Remember to bring sunglasses and sunscreen though. You can still burn just as easily in the winter, especially with all of the reflective snow.

In the times I wasn't in the North, fishing was an activity that myself and my best friend in elementary school enjoyed almost every day through the summers. We would ride our bikes down the bright, green paths of Waterworks Park, hitting the natural jumps and dips that erosion and roots would make our way down to the fishing spot we called our own.
Waterworks Park - my friend was once chased by Canada Geese - possibly one of their parents

It was little more than a wide, murky stream filled with suckers and other bottom feeders, but it was ours and we enjoyed every minute of it, rain or shine. I'm not even sure what we talked about in those days, I just remember the tranquility. In an otherwise Industrial town this was a haven of nature with deep reservoirs, waterfalls and miles of trails. Somewhat interesting because the original foundations of the Park were that of the city's municipal water pumphouse and treatment plant.

In the years since, I have become aware of things like fishing licenses, imposed seasons, urban sprawl, chemical and mineral leaching, and an array of other issues that attempt to either manage or threaten to destroy these oases that I've enjoyed up until this point in my life. There are several I plan to focus on here, including the canceling of the Ontario Spring Bear Hunt and several aquatics topic that pertain to myself, my degree and other various points of interest that come up.

Cheers all - and hope you'll enjoy the naturalistic theme we'll be taking for the next little while. Feel free to comment and give suggestions on points for research!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Part 3: We Saved Diabetes

A Kegger for Diabetes was the name of New Years Party I went to in beautiful Toronto. I had decided in early December, kindof like I did last year, that I wasn’t going to spend New Years in St. Thomas. It’s becoming a theme, and a good one in my opinion. I see my friends and party with them in St. Thomas, but New Years provides an opportunity to see all sorts of people whom I don’t see regularly. I have many friends around the GTA and other parts of Ontario and Canada that it’s an excuse to go see some of them, especially since some graduated last year and I haven’t seen them in eight months.

This New Years I headed right into the heart of Toronto, to see my friend Heather, who used to be a neighbor for a week when I moved in early May. We met through a series of people and circumstances and she invited me up for New Years and I jumped at the chance.

(Sidenote: Switched busses, and am now outside the Air Canada Centre: They have lights on, I assume a game must be scheduled for tonight.)

So on New Years Eve my Uncle gave me a ride to the bus station after taking me out to lunch. We chatter and discussed all manner of things like a Nephew and Uncle do. I then boarded the bus and high-tailed it to Toronto. I’ll admit that I’m normally not a fan of Toronto. Side effect of growing up so near it. You either love it or hate it. I fell more in love with Quebec City and Halifax while Toronto always felt more cold. But at this juncture I really didn’t mind it. I arrived fifteen minutes early and she arrived fifteen minutes late but it all worked out in the end. We met up and rode the good ol’ TTC back to her place.

I got to meet her family who are absolutely wonderful people. Her father actually builds amps. They accepted me into their home, and as luck would have it, Heather’s brother is a vegetarian as well, so my dietary restrictions weren’t an issue. They had a fabulous vegetarian lasagna – which provided a new finding: I like eggplant. At least in lasagna’s.

And so Heather and I got to visit for a good amount of time, watching Planet Earth and adding our own commentary. David Attenborough is now one of my Heroes. With his pronunciations of Harems and words like disorientated he provided hours of amusement while learning at the same time. I would suggest anyone and everyone see this documentary series in HD. It is absolutely breath-taking.

And so we spent a good deal of time under blankets on the couch eating trail mix and petting cats (her cats fell in love with me and I couldn’t get rid of them), but finally we had to get ready. We were going to a casual event and so casual clothes – basically an outfit completely given to me at Christmas. Heather donned a stunning simple, yet elegant jeans and top combo and we were off to wow the city folk (She doesn’t want me to say stunning, but I thought she was stunning so its staying in).

And so we wind up at this house party. Top two floors of the house are the apartment for the party and it was really quite beautiful. This is where I met those I would be mingling with for the rest of the night. The theme of the party was a fundraiser for Diabetes. My understanding is that the host had lost someone to Diabetese recently and all funds were going to toward research.

And so we got drinks and began mingling. I was introduced to Larissa, Heather’s best friend, who is quite a bright and funny woman. Also met several people with whom she works with in ‘the Biz’ aka entertainment. Film, TV, etc. Writing I think. We all had a great time and, as Heather pointed out several times, “This is like a real New Years Eve Party!” And it was. There were finger foods, all sorts of dips, some absolutely delicious Bruschetta and at midnight we toasted the evening with Champagne.

New Years kisses were had all around (including the only one I really wanted)

Some antics that transpired over the night (I’m not always good at writing my blogs in chronological order).

  1. The Balcony: As is my style, I occasionally just go for a stroll on my own: get the lay of the land, check things out. There was a balcony and I decided I should check it out. So I headed outside, took a few breaths of cold air, checked out the surrounding back yards including a man pulling his car in behind a gate, and then went to go back inside when I saw the CN Tower completely lit up. I admit, I then stereotyped as a typical small-town guy as I simply stared quietly for a few minutes at the giant structure that is so famous in the Toronto skyline.
  2. The Foam Hat: aka El Presidente. A giant green foam cowboy hat that everybody wore at some point. I got stuck with it for a long time before letting it sit on a chair.
  3. The Futon: Where myself and my compatriots took up residence. It’s always important to set up your base of operations. Most of us new very few people. The zone of safety revolved around the futon. Except for Heather I was meeting everyone for the first time, but I’m quite social and just kindof dive in. Those of us on the futon had that added level of familiar comfort though.
  4. The Stiletto: A painful memory. Heather (a different Heather) at one point was straddling Larissa (furthermore to be known as Larry), Heather and I. Don’t ask me why or if I enjoyed it. It simply was. Anyway, when she went to get off, her boot (which was quite the female pirate boot with stiletto heel) landed right on my baby toe and of course, having had one too many, didn’t notice and put her full weight on it. Thankfully nothing broke, I was just sore for a while.
  5. The Couch: At one point we all migrated to a white couch and had a few pile-ons with pictures (At this point my battery died and now I’m back home in London). Some more fun than others. Come to think of it – this may have been where the stiletto incident took place

The Post-New Years was nice. Heather and I made it home, watched some more Planet Earth. Deserts I believe. Very educational. The next day the poor girl crashed and slept away most of the day. I myself had to pack up and head out as Toronto was a stop on the way to seeing my Dad up north on Manitoulin Island.

However, this is the first time this has happened: I missed my bus. According to the internet I could catch the 1 PM out of Toronto to Sudbury and from there I would make a connection to Espanola where my Aunt and Uncle would pick me up as they live nearby and then the next day I’d head to Providence Bay.

This did not transpire. As it turns out, the bus I needed to be on left at 12:45 and I missed it. The driver of the bus I wanted to be on actually said “I can’t let you on this bus.” Embarrassing for me. So I head back into the terminal, hook up to the internet terminal and find my dad’s phone number. I get my step-mom and explain the situation. I then had a choice. Call back to Heather’s and explain myself embarrassingly or find another friend in the GTA. After a minute of hesitation I decided to call Heather’s place and head there for another day. We had wanted another day to visit anyway, so it kindof all worked out

And for those naysayers out there, who might surmise that I purposefully sabotaged my trip for an extra day, let me say this: My travel record up to this point is flawless. I never missed a flight, bus or train without some sort of situation stopping me like a burst pipe in an airplane (2nd year Christmas, was stuck in Ottawa overnight) or a blizzard stranding me at an airport (4th Year Spring Break stuck in Halifax while heading to St. John’s). I will put out this warning though: Never trust the Greyhound website. Call the bus depot ahead of time to get the actual times. Every step of the way this Christmas the buses have left fifteen minutes before I supposed. Luckily I always arrive as early as possible.

Anyway, back to getting back to Heather’s. Thankfully, having taken the TTC the day before I had a working knowledge of how to use the trains and street cars. To get back to Heather’s I needed only the subway. I got on, did all the necessary flips and changes and all that fun stuff before arriving back to very understanding parents and a still-sleeping and bewildered Heather.

We spent the evening watching some more Planet Earth, I got to see a fully working amp and her Dad made a fantastic soup, the likes of which I wish I still had because I’m kindof hungry for soup. We also watched XXX (the movie with Vin Diesel, not porn you sick people) and Heather divulged on how she thinks Mr. Diesel is sexy, while her mother and I are iffy on the situation.

It was then bedtime as we all had to be off the next morning. She to Pearson to fly back to Ottawa, myself to the bus station to try getting up north again. This time we were both successful (sad for us both). I then headed up North, which will be covered in Part Four of our Four Part series.

Part 2: Let's Juggle

Hey Folks,

Christmas for me is always an intense juggling act. Mom’s side of the family, friends, Dad’s side of the family and as of the last couple years New Years in alternate locations as well. Often between my two sides of the family. This post is going to deal with Mom’s side and family. New Years and Dad’s side will have their own post, making this a four-parter, as opposed to the three-part series I had promised in ‘Hiatus’.

(Sidenote: We just hit Barrie. Shoutout to Natalie! And formerly Amy, although you were outside of Barrie in a town I no longer remember the name of, and are now in Ottawa. Though say hello to Copper for me next time you see him)

So I got home Christmas Morning after flying Air Canada for the first time. And let me give some praises. At least for halfway. Halifax to Montreal was quite comfortable with a TV system that rivals that of Westjets. With Westjet it’s a live satellite feed, which means I miss amounts of some shows and sometimes there is nothing on, especially if you get a midday flight on a weekday. Do I watch Days of our Lives or some random kids’ movie on Family? Don’t get me wrong, if ‘Honey I Shrunk the Kids’ was on, I’d be all for it, but often its some after-school made for TV movie. More terrifying than melting ice caps.

The 2nd half of the flight, from Montreal to Hamilton was in the tiniest plane I’ve ever been on and felt more like a bus (like the one I’m currently on) than a plane. I did however have some pleasant company. I forget her name but she was a wonderful conversationalist which made the flight go smoothly and quickly, even if I was having trouble popping my ears. Clean your ears before you travel. It helps. According to the Doctor I once popped an eardrum though, so that can also cause problems. My ears actually whistled when they popped. Quite painful.

And so we’re on the ground in Hamilton. I get off the plane, head to the baggage claim and no one’s there. That’s fine, Mom must be running late. I’ll grab my bags first. I grab the bags and still no one. Odd. I give it ten minutes. Surely I have not been forgotten on Christmas Day at the Hamilton Airport. Those ten minutes click by and finally I open up the computer to get Mom’s phone number to see if there was some power outage that shorted out alarmclocks that has her not there to greet me as I de-plane. The phone rings once by the time she shows up and, as always, there is a humorous story behind it.

A lesson to be learned: Always check to see which airport you’re heading towards. Just following little plane signs can be dangerous. Mom and Tom wound up and the Burlington Prop Plane Museum as opposed to the Hamilton ‘International’ Airport.

So anyway, all is solved and I finally touch down at home in London. We open gifts, and I give Mom and Tom the pictures of myself. As a running joke, they are ones in which I am drinking. I also give them one of Rachelle and myself – We both look quite sexy in that one, and I’m sure she’d agree.

For Christmas I received several wonderful things. New t-shirts and new pair of jeans, socks (always a sucker for socks) chocolate, my plane tickets, a couple of hoodies and some other garments, as well as a Best Buy gift card. All the better for buying a new Camera with.

I spent the day talking with family and we went to my grandparents for dinner where, in order to please my Grandmother I had a small piece of turkey. Dark meat. It was all information on flights and everything else about my travels and what I’m going to do after University when I was being talked to. And conversation regarding all manner of things otherwise. It was a good night and a very nice meal.

Before the end of the night, my Aunt Charmaine and Co. showed up, bringing the other Cousin in University. Cydney and I had talks about her school and other fun stuff, and I played with my Cousin Aaron while Alex and Garrett did their own teenage thing.

The next day the circus began. We piled into the vehicles and headed back to my Grandparents. We had snacks and waited for everyone to arrive. In total about 30 of us all crammed into one house. We went through at least a dozen bottles of wine and I don’t know how many bottles of beer and other booze. We opened gifts and I collected most of the wrapping paper except for the tissue paper my mom wanted kept for whatever reason. Our family has shifted from traditional gift wrapping to gift bags for the most part however. Very environmentally conscious of them, considering wrapping paper is difficult to recycle.

I played many rounds of hide-and-seek with my little cousins and enjoyed many laughs. I love playing with them, though it does cut into visiting time. Unfortunately for them, I have a few years experience on hide-and-seek in that house and know all the good spots. They’re catching on though. And it is very apparent that I can’t fit into some of the hiding spots I used to be able to. I also spent a good chunk of time wrestling with them as well. A 22 year old against 3 kids under the age of 10. Hopeless. Especially Aaron who now has some weight behind him, and when you get anyone in the knees they’re bound to go down.

Dinner was fantabulous (yes, I do make up words from time to time). Curries and Dahl, Coconut Rice, Potatoes, and all sorts of other fine Indian foods. I ate the fill of about seven people and could hardly move for an hour later while overheating from all of the spices. I stayed strong to the vegetarianism during this time. Thankfully there was enough option.

It’s during this time that I get into contact with the old friends, and each time I come back it becomes more and more apparent who those close friends are. As always, Heather and I had our Nightmare Before Christmas date. We ate Turtles and enjoyed each other’s company, talking about this and that while watching what I would argue is Tim Burton’s best work. Other than Vincent, which is also fantastic (but anything narrated by Vincent Price would be).

Had one night out on the town that started out with Jessie and her Mom and Scott out to dinner. Conversation abounded. She goes to University of Ottawa now and I didn’t get to see her last time I was home so we had a lot of catching up to do. She’s one of my closest friends and it sucked that I hadn’t gotten to see her while I was home in the summer. So we caught up and went to her Bro’s place for some predrinks and then to the bar. I am close friends with all the Farmer’s and Josh, though he looks a bit different is best kind. My brother even.

(Sidenote: Just passed Canada’s Wonderland)

We went out for some Karaoke. I didn’t sing any, but I did play some pool and run into all manner of people from my past, including Goose Goose, who sucks at pool just as much as I do, and Cath, Shannon, some guy who I don’t remember his name but he bought me three drinks, Bill, etc. It was a veritable reunion with some faces that I hadn’t seen for years while others I dreaded would recognize me, but that’s the way with going home every time. I was most excited to see Nick and EJ however. Nick, who a couple summers ago we kicked off an awesome friendship and EJ whom Mr. Sheppard constantly mistook for my gf, always ending in hilarity.

The next day I headed to coffee with Jade, who I also missed last time I was home. She was also the 1st person ever to come visit me on the East Coast. She came up for Easter last year while she was I New Brunswick. We went for coffee at this lovely place in St. Thomas (it is rare that St. Thomas and lovely make it into the same sentence) called Cravings. We had soup and coffee and caught up. I also went and saw her parents, caught up with them. In St. Thomas with many friends it’s not just catching up with friends but friends and their families.

On the final night of being home, I made a quick pitstop at a party at Steve-O’s, had a couple beers and then headed her home. The next day I was to breakfast at 2 PM with Lisa, Shannon and Steve-O before heading back to London to have my arse handed to me in Trivial Pursuit by my Mom and Tom before heading off next day for Toronto for my New Years Celebrations.

This Concludes Part 2: Please Change Cassettes.

Christmas With The Cormiers

Hey Folks,

There are going to be a few blogposts all at once here, as it is the holiday season and I’ve begun my Vegetarian adventure back home. But first, I must recount my adventures in Halifax and surrounding area on my Christmas Eve with the Cormiers.

For those of you unfamiliar with my family, I’ll let you know that I have a cousin Devon who lives in Halifax. She has recently gotten engaged to her longtime boyfriend, who’s family I spent Christmas Eve with. These would be the Cormiers, and they are a very wonderful, loving and caring family. They took me in on Christmas Eve and treated me like family. Which was better than my other options of either staying overnight in the airport or alone in my apartment in Antigonish. So overall it went over quite well.

First some prelude though – we seem to be continuing back in time. Over a week ago I got a hold of Craig (my cousins fiancĂ©) and told him I’d be coming to Halifax either Saturday or Sunday, possibly with my friend Judy. We conversed over a few days on facebook, and plans were settled. I then figured he’d tell my cousin I was coming. This however was not the case. As I arrived in Halifax and called my cousin she had no idea I was coming in, and caught her completely off guard!

Well needless to say we heckled Craig for a good long while for not saying anything and I’ve learned the lesson to call much earlier. But oh well, it happens. Anyway, forward in time, I am now in Halifax.

That night we ordered some pizza and played some cards. A game called Whisk and some Euchre. Both based on similar rules – basically just trump games. Craig and I were partners and basically got hosed the entire time. Tough break for us, but what can you do? We then proceeded to play with strong magnets. We also ordered pizza, and my vegetarianism once again became the butt of much ridicule with my ‘freaky pizza.’ Ah well, I persevered and it tasted great to me. It was Pizza Hut and I hadn’t had Pizza Hut in a very long time.

The next day was Christmas Eve and we all went out to the Craig’s parents for dinner. We met with some of their friends and I finally got to meet Craig’s brothers whom I’ve heard about for a couple years now. It was an exciting occasion as on Friday night Craig had proposed to Devon. It’s a beautiful ring and they’re a really sweet couple. It was a wonderful dinner, and they were all very gracious of my vegetarianism, understanding my not taking part in the turkey.

After dinner, we played some cards. I bet some of Devon’s money and lost it all. Ah well, it happens. I’ll pay her back eventually. We had some drinks and some laughs and then it was time for church. (Warning: I mean nothing in the following paragraphs to offend anyone, it is merely my knowledge and experience, related back to you for your pleasure and amusement at my lack of knowledge regarding Catholicism and its rituals)

Being a baptized Anglican, I have always been under the assumption that Catholics and Anglican’s were very close in their worship. Indeed many people will tell you this and when King Henry made the Church of England it was basically Catholicism without so many Saint’s, a translated Bible, no Pope and you could get divorces. I’m sure it’s more complex than that, but it gives the gist of the situation.

Anyway, I get into the church, and there’s only one book with hymns. The reason why: Catholics have this stuff memorized! A little run-through of the rare occasions that I go to church. We have prayer books. Big things with the stuff we need to say bolded so it is easier for us to find and recite. Also, if anything isn’t in the book, its in the pamphlet we receive before the service which is also bolded with the things we say. Failing the bolding, there are italics. How do we know which page to turn to? Large signs saying the pages we need in chronological order. King Henry wanted to make sure we knew what we were doing and could follow along.

And so, while sitting in church with my cousin who is also a Heathen, we kindof gave sidelong glances and I realized, this is how Catholics know you’re not one of them. It was an educational experience, that’s for sure. Other than the obvious lack of preparation on my part, the service was quite nice, filled with the Christmas Story and Spirit and the community atmosphere was very strong. A perfect way to spend Christmas Eve.

Afterward, we went to a Christmas Eve Party at the house of one of the Cormier’s family friends. They had many finger foods and desserts and drinks going around. It was quite the event. I talked to several people, hob-knobbing and the like. It’s always fun being the random person at a party – you can jump in anywhere and learn a lot about the people around you. It’s best when they have funny and embarrassing stories about the people you know.

It is at this party however that I ran into the ‘I’m Vegetarian so long as I don’t insult anybody’ dilemma. I had to let my resolve slide for one night for a bowl of Seafood Chowder. The Lady of the House was very proud of it and dishing out bowls, and as there was no pre-warning of a Vegetarian afoot, I took the bowl graciously and ate. And it was quite tasty. I let the resolve slip a total of 3 more times over the holidays each with varying severities and reasons which I will explain later.

And so we partied and had fun and many conversations later it was time to go home. We had a designated driver and were on our way back to the Cormier’s house where I would get two hours of sleep before having to catch my flight. On the way home, however we ran into a Christmas Miracle. A man, having been driving and unaware of the black ice, lost control around a corner and slid up the slope of the hill to the right side of the road, flipping onto his roof and skidding a ways. We didn’t even see the black vehicle until we were passed it, but being first one the scene we stopped and called 911 and checked to see if the person inside was alright.

It turns out he was perfectly fine, but in quite an amount of shock, which was miraculous. His luck continues for he skidded to the right. Had he skidded to the left, he would have gone over the barrier and into the lake, from which he would have most likely died, thus my labeling this a Christmas Miracle. I was dumbstruck by it all, amazed at the mechanical wreckage (having never seen an accident up close and personal before) while the man inside was able to get himself out of the vehicle before we even got there.

This is also a praise for local volunteer emergency workers. Because after only five-ten minutes of our calling 911 early on Christmas Morning (around 1:30 AM) volunteer fire fighter’s were on the scene. There are many flaws in many of our systems, but this one worked with a speed and dedication that would make anyone proud of their community and adding to the ideals of Christmas of brotherhood and good will towards men.

Anyway – eventually we make it home to the Cormier’s house and I finally get to get my 2 hours sleep on the couch. Let me remind you that I was a last-minute surprise guest at the Cormier’s house, but was welcomed with open arms as if I were family. When I woke up that morning there was a card and a tube of Pringles as a makeshift gift. Something so simple and yet so touching. It is gestures like that that make one believe in all the good things. It makes one feel included and special. As soon as I get back and get all the info they’re getting a nice thank you card.

Joanne (Craig’s mom) drove me to the airport which is where my adventure with the Cormier’s ends. A thanked her graciously again for letting me spend Christmas with them, as opposed to alone in my House in Antigonish or in the Airport amongst strangers and then we off home to see friends and family in what would be one of the most hectic Christmas’s I’ve ever orchestrated.

End Part 1: Please Turn Record Over for B-Side

Hiatus

Hey Folks,

Well it’s been a while, and I apologize for being gone so long. Let’s just say I went through a bit of a rough patch, and didn’t really have the ambition to update this as often as I used to – aka not at all. School become hugely overwhelming near the end, and a variety of personal issues also came up, most of which I’m really not entirely comfortable talking about on here. I talk about a lot, but there’s a lot I like to keep private as well.

Suffice it to say, I’m back. It’s a new term and I’ve got some goals, some ‘resolutions’ as it were, and I’m going to achieve them. I’m looking towards an all-around betterment of myself over the coming months as I prepare to enter the workforce, begin carving out a career, finding my niche in the World. A new job popped up in Halifax working with Species at Risk, which sounds pretty good.

I recall a similar event occurred in gr. 12 of Highschool – a sabotaging of my schoolwork because I was afraid to leave. I was moving 3 provinces away, didn’t know anyone out there and by the end of the 1st term had a great set of friends and life seemed to be going pretty well.

Thankfully by the end of the 2nd term I was able to salvage my GPA as by June of 2003 I was more than ready to get out of St. Thomas. I had had enough of that town and was ready for something new. I’m looking towards graduating University in the same light. Now I just need to track down at least seven tickets for graduation so that everyone who wants to come will have a seat.

I want to speak for a moment about the Chicken Nugget. I incorporate an entire night’s events with this one act of drunken stupidity. Yes, I ate Chicken McNuggets and very much regretted it for two days afterward. As I’ve cited at other junctures, switching my diet in this way has made my stomach sensitive to bad foods, such as anything McDonald’s. But I had been drinking and it is a night in which I can definitely attribute as a weak point. But, thankfully, as Amira has said, the body gives you signs, and with each slip and mistake I become stronger in my resolve.

And so I set out upon my goals. Starting out rather broad but focusing it in, and writing it all down here – thus forcing myself to do it, lest I become a liar to my readers (the term ‘lest’ is not used enough I find). Anyway – a big one: The change of lifestyle hasn’t thus far gone very far beyond just eating right, which I still screw up sometimes (as you all know). It is a New Year, and time to kick some more things off right. Next stop: Getting a better body. Not that I’m going to trade mine in like a used car, but I’ve done the dietary change, it’s about time to get an exercise regimen started. Nothing that would turn me into an iron-pumping muscle-giant, but more working on getting myself in better shape. I am getting back into running, starting into Yoga. Kayleigh, who’s been mentioned before is getting me onto that bandwagon (See Kayleigh! Two shout-outs as your own person now).

Because looking at all aspects of life, they seem to be connected. The body, mind and spirit. So far, the eating has caused a focusing on the body, which now I want to get into better shape: Meanwhile I noticed that eating right has helped me focus better and I’m sure working out, getting in shape will help as well. Now it’s just the spiritual side. I’ve done reading into a few different religions, but am still unsure about commitment to any. I am baptized Anglican but am open to others as well. Perhaps I’ll make it a goal to read the Koran over the next year. See what Islam is really all about. For both the spiritual and political reasons. Discover what’s really going on.

Also, forcing myself to sit down and write again. The blog and my column with the Xavarian are rather therapeutic and allow me to go off on those things which are important to me, and as my mom pointed out, I’m the most looked up ‘Adam McKechnie’ online, and so there’s a responsibility to my readers that I’ve been allowing to lapse over the past month or so. Actually exactly a month.

I intend to blow this final term out of the water. I have basically coasted through University, having lost my drive for excelling beyond that of the average. After a long and heart-felt talk with my mom, it seems rather appropriate that I finish off this, my last year with the kind of vigor that I used to put into my work.

I’d like to take a moment here if you’ll let me to talk about mothers and my mother in particular. She hasn’t been mentioned a lot here, except for her engagement and other such events. I will stipulate that I am a Momma’s Boy. And damn proud of it. Ever since I saw an interview with Mr. T saying “I pity the fool who isn’t a Momma’s Boy!”. Mr. T is man enough to be a Momma’s boy and proud of it, and so am I. She has been a constant in my life and has always pushed me and helped me when I needed it. She also has no issue with calling me on it when I’m slacking or doing things that I know are not to my potential or quality. So just a little shout out, love you Mom.

Finally, I’d like to have a job by the time I graduate. I’m not talking working at Central part-time or even full-time. Looking to relocate to a major city and have something (big options are Halifax or Ottawa), even if it’s entry-level in my field and getting started on Changing the World. We’ve got a planet that needs saving. Time to jump in and give a hand.

So once again, my heartfelt apologies for being so delinquent in my blogposts. Hopefully the torrent of new ones will make up for it. Enjoy my Christmas Stories, it will be told in 3 parts which will be posted right after this. After that, it won’t be until I get my article for next week done and probably back to Antigonish that you’ll get the story of my last day and travel back to the East Coast.

Cheers folks, and enjoy