The Keckventure

Ending Violence Against Women

2009-12-04T01:09:00.002-04:00

Hey All,

New Post time.

Well it's that time of year - hitting just before christmas, after thanksgiving - that festive time of year when one gets soaked in the heavy rains on the way to work. As was my day - wasn't too bad though, I brought a change of clothes and all was well.

Something sparked in me today at work though, and I wanted to share it. It's a few days early, but those who know me are sure to forgive my being early for something for once, as opposed to being late.

On December 6th, people across Canada wear a white ribbon to signify solidarity in the pursuit of ending violence against women. Contrary to the belief of some, the abuse still occurs every day, and there are many women who are too afraid to come forward and receive the help and protection they desperately need to break free of the violent and abusive cycles that they have been trapped in.

This all came back to me today as I was reading the news, and came across an article discussing these points and bringing back some of the history for those who may be new to this day and even or were too young to remember what had happened that day. I myself was four when it happened.

The date of Dec. 6th is significant because on that date in 1989, 14 women were killed at the Polytechnique in Quebec, singled out by the killer through a deep-seeded mysoginistic hatred of women, feminism and all such advances therein.

Reading the stories brought about reflection and emotion in me, and I began to consider my life, and life of men and women, humanity in general, and how far we've come in twenty years in many ways on this front, but also how much further there still is to go.

One point of contention however, was that the article I was reading fell into the 'Entertainment' section. Which just felt wrong in my gut. I'm glad that it is receiving news coverage, but I'd consider this more news or life section, than 'entertainment'. but perhaps thats just me on a labelling rant.

I also have some reading material to suggest. In 'The Lovely Bones,' Susie Salmon was murdered on Dec. 6th, 1973. The movie comes out in a couple of weeks. I'd suggest everyone read it and see the movie. It's a story of staggering beauty and sorrow, which takes us through the afterlife of Susie Salmon as she experiences her family's grief and growth from her old heaven, while still being haunted by her attacker.

It's a fantastic book. I am also going to be compiling some links and I'll be adding them on for people to check out.

Until next time,

Cheers All

5th Annual Belly Appreciation Day

2009-10-05T01:01:00.002-03:00

Hi All,

In appreciation and support of Belly Appreciation Day, created by my good friend Emily, I thought I'd post the original email (as passed on to me through Ally of 'Ask Ally' and 'The Neighbourhood Zombie Watch') so that we may all bask in the loveliness that is Belly Appreciation Day, which actually also coincides with Alexander's Keith's Birthday. So drink a Keith's and Rub Your Belly!
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It's October, most of you are feeling gloomy, it's probably raining (well it is here) and for some reason your belly probably looks more unsightly today than ever. Do not feel bad. Take a moment, rub your belly and be thankful that you have one. There are people in this world who don't. I know, it's a tragedy, but it is true!

The Steps to Accepting Your Belly:

1. Admit that you have a belly (and if you don't have one, call me and borrow some of mine! Just pretending you have one will work too).
2. Name your belly (Gertrude, Janine, Maynard, and Timmy the Tummy are already taken).
3. Give your belly a rub.
4. Talk to your belly (this might seem strange, but people talk to their pets, plants and computers. Why not talk to your belly?)
5. Love the belly.
6. Allow your belly to hang out (at least in the privacy of your own home). It needs to see the sunlight from time to time.
7. Rub and talk to your belly everyday.

If you love your belly, soon it will love you back. Don't listen to the beauty magazines! BELLIES ARE BEAUTIFUL! It's beautiful whether it is a big belly or a little belly. Most people are stuck with their belly forever, you might as well love it! Please pass the message along to any and everyone you know so that they, too, can learn to love their own bellies, whatever size or shape.

I love you all (and your bellies!) and I wish you the bestest Belly Day ever!

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Everyone enjoy your belly day and your Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale!

Cheers all

House Husbandry

2009-09-04T11:10:00.002-03:00

Well there have been a few jokes and comments (most from myself, but a few from others) about me being unemployed and at home every day. lol.

Anyway, as I sit here watching Rachael Ray (Bette Midler is the guest) I consider the house husbandry that I am currently doing. I am actively searching for employment, had an interview this week, but am still waiting on callbacks and such. I'm plastered all over this city, but nothing as of yet. September 9th is Post-Secondary Recruitment with the Canadian Government, anyone who is looking to get into the Civil Service should look into this. But I am otherwise unemployed and living on the dole, while Krystal brings home the bacon, literally and figuratively. lol.

Anyway, so I sit at home, watching my stories (mostly CSI's and MASH) and do things around the hosue. We moved into our new apartment - once it's all organized and decorated I'll be taking pics and I'll do a virtual facebook tour for everyone.

But for now, thats what I do. I'm unpacking, I'm decorating, hanging pictures and mirrors and valances and blinds, etc. So I'm a house husband, I also cook and clean and it's not so bad. Got to use my new barbecue last night, as I had made a tequila lime chicken and mexican rice. It was quite tasty. I also made oatmeal cookies. Regular ones, not my banana ones (no bananas). But they're still delicious. And so here I put one of the best points of being a house husband type person. Sometimes, I just lie on the couch and eat the cookies I baked while watching TV. Does it get much better than that? lol.

Also, I'm not trying to throw a meal together post 6 PM. I've got the day to plan it, and as for yesterday I saw the tequila lime chicken on Rachael Ray, and so had the time to whip the recipe together. Brilliant.

Sidenote: There is now a hot fudge sundae pop tart. yum.

Anyway, I'd better get to dishes and perhaps make a spot of lunch.

For all of you in London area, go to St. Mary's and go to Darjeeling Teahouse, opening soon (possibly already open, I'll update later on).

Cheers everyone

Crangrape Juice gives me heartburn

2009-04-14T01:38:00.003-03:00

Sometimes titles can be quite literal. I'm sure the twix bar didn't help either.

Anyway, Easter. Chocolate and bunnies and eggs and Jesus oh my. It was an emotional one, but a good one. This was actually the first time in five years that I've been home for an Easter. Most often, as all of us who have gone through University would know, we are preparing for exams and finishing papers and theses at this point. Having graduated and recently moved home I was home this time - though I did miss the Catholic Easter vigil. Having lived in Antigonish these last five years, I've most often gone to catholic services, as many of my friends there are catholic and would be the ones I went to church with on said occasions.

But this is not a religious rant. Perhaps there will be one someday, but not today. Today's more about family and our connectivity and what happens when one is lost.

In the last post, I spoke of my grandfather, Roland Wood, and his passing back in December - and the void that is left in all of our lives after such a man who has had a positive influence has died. Earlier today, we went to the graveyard to interm his ashes into the wall. It's a nice little condo flat and he should be quite comfortable there. It's groundfloor and has a view of a garden. Groundfloor, mind you, as Dadda was always afraid of higher leveled rooms in buildings - He always wanted an easy escape route in case of fire.

Things like this, interming the ashes, and all the way back to the funeral and everything else are powerful things, meant to provide for times of mourning and closure. And I'm hoping that what we did today provides that closure. As the hurt becomes a little bit less each day, and the idea of him not sitting in his chair dispensing pearls of wisdom becomes more bearable, I hope we remember the lessons to be learned from him. Kind, generous and wise. All great qualities that I would aspire to have within myself and to confer upon others.

I also learned how to put up vinyl siding this weekend.

Anyway, I'm not writing anything very coherently anymore, so I am going to head to sleep.

Cheers all!
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Ends and Beginnings and Middles

2009-03-10T15:50:00.003-03:00

Hey Folks,

Well it's no real secret anymore that I'm moving back to Ontario. I'm doing so this weekend actually - packing now. Packing's emotional, and I'm not ashamed to say I've cried a couple times today, packing up my Nova Scotia life.

It really is difficult to pick up and go - and I should know, I've moved 11 times in the last five years - this will be move 12. All over Antigonish, home and back, England and Halifax. So many houses and apartments, its dizzying sometimes. Though a tough skin does develop after a while - for a couple years I just lived out of a suitcase, not seeing any real reason to unpack fully since I was going to move again so soon.

I'm moving home because it's the right thing to do right now. As most people know, I lost my Grandfather over the Holidays, and right now my family is hurting. I by no means believe that moving home means all these problems will be fixed, but I feel I need to be there. Being there to help my grandmother and my mom and everyone else, as well as having that familial support will be helpful. I've also been gone for five years, and haven't spent any significant time with the famdamily in the last two. I'd like to go fishing with my Dad, and other such sentimental sappy things.

Beyond that, I have four weddings this summer. I'm standing in two, am a co-MC for another and walking my Mom down the aisle in September, and travel costs to live in NS and go back for all of them is prohibitive. So to be home for the summer is good for those reasons, at the very least. I can even help Sarah and Eric with some of the more intricate planning, which will be nice.

So why is it so hard to move then? With so many great things awaiting me back in Ontario, including greater opportunity to be in my field and get some more work experience? As most of you know, there's a special girl in my life. Her name's Krystal and she's an East Coaster (Nova Scotian, right from Halifax). And she was sneaky and nabbed my heart. My moving means that we'll be seperated for several months until she joins me in Ontario in the fall. But she also understands the reasons behind me going, and I'm so glad that she is so understanding and compassionate and supportive that she is willing to stick with me through this. It's a real testament to the character of the woman I've let into my heart, and whose let me into hers (am I getting brownie points yet? lol).

There are also other reasons - not the least of which I just plain love the East Coast and Halifax is a fantastic, vibrant city. the Farmer's Market and Waterfront give this place such a character. It's a living place full of history and culture, while still maintaining that Maritime charm and comfort. It truly is a home, and I have made some excellent friends here. There's a way of life out here that I'm going to miss when I return to the hustle and bustle of Ontario. But who knows, I may be back soon - Dalhousie has one of the lawschools that I am going to apply to, with an option to specialize in environmental issues, which is right up my alley.

Anyway, I apologize this is not more cheerful, but sometimes cheer is hard to come by. But I keep smiling - I'm excited to see my family and friends and spend some real quality time. I've been blessed with my time out here on the East Coast and to have met someone as wonderful as Krystal whom, though we will deal with the hardships of long distance, still have a lot of support in our relationship, and I believe we'll make it through with flying colours. Love you hunnie.

Cheers All,

Good Deeds

2009-01-10T19:40:00.002-04:00

Hey Folks,

On a fifteen minute break here at work, so I'm gonna throw up a little update on some random things that have happened to me this evening. As many of you know, I work at the front desk at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax. Through consistent face-to-face interaction, I have developed automated responses to making eye contact with people anywhere and everywhere. More than a nod, I'm often saying 'hello', or 'how are you?' and then people tend to look at me blankly and hurry on with their lives.

Well today I said hello on Barrington St, and a gentleman actually stopped. Taken aback, I stopped too. He had a wide smile, and and asked quite genuinely how I was today. I gave him a typically Canadian response, saying I was well, and asked him how he was. Apparently he had just finished work and was heading home. Must've been a productive day. And with that, we waved good bye and I moved on, my mood sunnier for the meeting.

Then I got to work. And all was well. I'm back on the desk and things are going fairly smoothly. I then have an interaction with a homeless man who can't speak. 99% of the time, this means that we send out a message to get the homeless person out (bad for business you know). But he was fairly clean, and it was quiet, so I wound up helping him out. He laid out his papers, and pointed to the word 'shelter'. So, with a wave of my hand, I brought up Google and found Halifax shelters, found the closest one for men, and got him directions as well as instructions for the bus so that he could get there. Took probably about 15 minutes communicating through pads of paper and hand signals, but we were finally able to get him on his way to a bed for the night. I just hope he makes it and is alright.

Anyway, just wanted to share these couple of experiences I had today that served to make me feel pretty good inside.

Cheers all

Lunch Break Fixer

2009-01-03T16:54:00.002-04:00

Just a quick fix from my last post:

Ask Ally is not on hiatus, the blog just has less frequent postings due to the January craziness that Grad Students endure. However, still feel free to ask questions, and remember that if life is handing you lemons, Ally has great recipes for lemonade - and/or a slingshot with which to shoot lemons back at life in a sneaky counter-attack. I'm sure zombies also hate lemons - but I'm no expert, she'll have confirm or refute that.

Cheers all

The Long Post, Goodnight

2008-12-29T21:51:00.002-04:00

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

Water Water Everywhere?

2008-03-28T15:15:00.005-03:00

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

Beijing?

2008-03-18T16:34:00.002-03:00

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

30 000 lbs of bananas

2008-03-11T10:21:00.002-03:00

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

Conferences and Birthdays

2008-03-10T22:42:00.002-03:00

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

The Bloggers Blitz

2008-02-18T14:22:00.005-04:00

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

Coles Notes Vegetarianism

2008-01-31T22:09:00.000-04:00

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

2008-01-31T21:23:00.000-04:00

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

Water?

2008-01-27T10:12:00.000-04:00

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

Nature Films?

2008-01-16T22:03:00.000-04:00

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

Au Naturelle

2008-01-13T11:48:00.001-04:00

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 that 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!

Part 3: We Saved Diabetes

2008-01-07T23:45:00.000-04:00

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).

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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (2^nd year Christmas, was stuck in Ottawa overnight) or a blizzard stranding me at an airport (4^th 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

2008-01-07T23:39:00.000-04:00

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 2^nd 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 1^st 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

2008-01-07T23:35:00.000-04:00

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 fiancé) 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

2008-01-07T23:30:00.000-04:00

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 1^st term had a great set of friends and life seemed to be going pretty well.

Thankfully by the end of the 2^nd 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

I Am The Flash

2007-12-09T14:29:00.000-04:00

Hey Folks,

It's been a few days and there has been some adventuring, so it's about time to report it. I'm going to start with an event that started back in 1989. I'm talking of course about the Montreal Massacre that saw the deaths of 14 women and injury of many others at Ecole Polytechnique. And so on December 6th of every year, there are ceremonies promoting the end of Violence Against Women. Men wear a white women to show their support of ending this. There were several speeches, one by our President Sean Riley, another by Student's Union VP and good friend Marc Rodrigue. The one that struck me the most, however was from a student with our Coady Institute here on campus. It was a quote that just smacked me in the forehead with it's power, "Violence against women does not happen by accident. It is by design.' Such a powerful line, rocked me to the core.

It was a very solemn and respectful ceremony. Myself and my friend Natalie lit a candle in honour of a girl who has gone missing. Candles were lit for all of the women who died in the Massacre and for several others who have been killed because they were women. We then 'passed on the light' as everyone in the audience lit candles in support of passing along the message and becoming active in eliminating violence - emotional and mental as well as physical - against women.

From there I had lunch with my friend Kiva-Marie. We ate up at the Tall and Small, each getting a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Hers with Tomato and Pesto and mine with Green Onions and Peppers. Both coming with salads. I ate most of the salad as well, despite my generalized dislike of the dish. Well - it's not that I don't like salads, its just the vegetarian association with them. Like all we do is eat salads, when that's SO not true.

Anyway - we had lunch and it was tasty, had some good conversation and then headed back to campus. The next day I had an exam so I had to study, and our group from Environment and Society had a study session that evening. Oh my god - half the time we were just making jokes about the Prof and laughing at the random stupid things we would wind up saying. Studied for about 3 hours together and had a great time.

I believe the exam went well. I wrote for about an hour and a half, and did the questions to the best of my ability. There was never a point where I went "I have no clue what this is asking me" So I feel confident about it. Next up, Humans and the Environment next week. Should be fun. Several of us are getting together for a studygroup on Tuesday

Last night was a pretty fun night. Myself, Maureen and Tricia went down to New Glasgow to go see some of our friends perform. They're musician's who often do Open Mic night's here in town. We went down to give them some hometown support. Before we went there though, we hit up Zellers and the Mall. It was hilarious times. The three of talk a lot so for the car-ride and in the malls we just steamrolled each other over and over again in our conversations.

At Bluenotes I was able to get 3 new shirts for $10. Which is good because as I've lost weight all of my clothes have become stupidly baggy on me, so I needed some shirts that fit better. My favorite is the one with The Flash on it. lol. I saw it and just had to have it. They also had one with the Joker but I opted not to get that one. I wore The Flash shirt to the gig. There are several photos of me posing with it.

Anyway... the three of us (well two of us - Maureen was DD) had some drinks and ate some potato skins and listened and danced to some fun music. Tricia even got up and sang which was exciting for us. She has an excellent voice so it all worked out really well. I wish I could remember some of the quotes.

Except for the Potato Skins.... which I am hurting for today. Let it be known throughout the World that I slipped last night. On the Potato Skins came Bacon Bits - and wow. I don't even know how to describe. The guilty pleasure of it all. I felt like crying while eating it, but it was SO good. For all who are now afraid and curious, I'm still remaining a vegetarian. I just had a bit of a slip. I was hungry and they were there, and there you go. And I assure you, I'm paying for it today. My stomach hurts like you would not believe. And its not that 'I had a few too many beers and my stomach hurts' kindof thing. Its nearly crippling cramps (I exaggerate, its not that bad but its still painful) that have me basically under house arrest today.

So that's been my adventuring for the last few days. Supported the struggle to end violence against women and went and saw a show that has left me with pines in my digestive track. Ah well, I'll make it through.

Cheers all

Coo Coo Cachoo

2007-12-02T23:30:00.000-04:00

I am the Eggman - or Here's to you Mrs. Robinson, whichever you prefer. Or if you have no preference, listen them both and enjoy.

It's been a long time my dear devoted readers, and I apologize. Life, papers, etc. seem to get in the way sometimes. But I am back, and though it might no longer be a daily, I will be communicating once more. Mostly about the exam period, my time stuck here in Antigonish until Dec. 24th (I fly home quite early on Christmas Morning) and then how my Christmas as a Vegetarian fares, back home amongst the family and friends.

What's been up with me? Well, tonight I went and saw 'Across The Universe' a movie inspired by Beatles songs that takes us through occurances with a group of people of different backgrounds in New York City during the Vietnam War. any more than that and I'll spoil it - So go and see it. It is quite brilliant.

I'll tell you right now though, halfway through I nearly left the theatre to come on here and do a post apologizing because it was so tempting to pack a bag and leave for New York tonight. As your can tell, I didn't - but I'm a romantic like that. Belief in the impossible adventure - disappearing somewhere and completely immersing oneself in something new. I've established my vegetarianism, time for something new. lol.

Other than that it's been all work and school. Not getting proper sleep, generally up til about 4 AM, writing papers and reports and generally conversing with other folks like myself staying up til all hours of the day and night. You get used to it - though I can't wait to get back on a proper sleep schedule. It'll be quite nice.

I have 2 exams - one next Saturday, and the other on the 11th, plus a paper due Wednesday and another one due on the 13th. So still quite the workload - plus I'm going back to work full time (if they'll let me) until the 24th. Gotta make the money - and to be completely honest, though I may complain sometimes, I really do enjoy my job. It's low responsibility, the people are great, and I get a thrill out of customers. I enjoy helping when I can, joking around, talking about the weather. All that fun stuff.

Speaking of weather - December 1st we got a snowstorm and it's a winter wonderland out there. First time I've seen significant snow this early in a LONG LONG time. Makes me feel good - like the Earth might not be so screwed after all and we can still do something about it. As far as we've gotten, I do believe there will still be significant change, but perhaps its not absolutely too late, as the doomsday theorists would have us believe.

It's been a year now since I received my x-ring. I'm currently cleaning it actually - getting it ready for the big occasion. A lot of my friends from Harlow are getting there's tomorrow and I'm very excited for them. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get into the party, but I wish them all the best, and will be celebrating no matter where I wind up. I remember this time last year, the night before and the morning of, being so excited. I could hardly think. Jay and I started drinking early on in our room, and it just continued from there. The four of us who received our X-Rings in England have dual recognition as the first official x-ring ceremony outside of Antigonish, and the last to be held in a chapel. a very prestigious honour.

Although now, remembering my X-Ring speech, I can't help but smile. I'm going to paste it in for you guys to read. A bit of backstory first. We ordered our rings, and built the situation that allowed us to get them shipped over. Peter Clancy and Marc Rodrigue, who took the initiative to plan our ceremony were taking care of everything. What happened next was staggering. One of our rings got lost. And so they wouldn't send any if they didn't have the fourth. It was touch-and-go for a while, but they found the 4th Ring and shipped it fast as they could, so that the four rings arrived the night before the ceremony. Because of the situation, our guest speaker and guest alumni from London had actually offered to let us use their x-rings for the ceremony and pictures so we would still be able to have the ceremony properly. The rest is explained in my speech:Left to Right: Drew, myself, Jessie and Jay. The X-Ring Recipients

I had considerable trouble writing this speech. I just couldn’t find the right words, the right phrases to express my feelings about X, the ring and the Xavarian family. Then, the situation with our rings occurred, and I saw symbolism in their journey. It was very similar to the journey we take as students when going through at StFX.

First, the rings had to be ordered. This is similar to applying to University. Some did this later than others, filling out applications, doing paperwork and appointment after appointment. We pay out a ridiculous amount of money, and then we wait. I’m sure everyone recalls the months in Gr. 12 or 13, waiting for that acceptance letter, wondering whether they made the cut.

Finally, after months of waiting, we get accepted into University. We are confirmed and ordered and are sent out to find our places. This is where the next leg of the Ring’s journey takes place as well. Some of us get lost. Like the fourth ring, some of us don’t find our place so easily.

And this is where the Xavarian spirit and family make their entrance. It is when we get lost that everyone pulls together to make sure we get found again. Fellow students, Professors, Alumni and even the general community band together to help us find our way. It may come in the form of an influential professor, a powerful guest-speaker, fellow students raving about a program, joining societies or through the use of one of X’s excellent help centers. The Counsellors, Wellspring, the Writing Centre, etc. And so like us, the missing ring was found and could begin its journey.

But that’s just the beginning. From here we need to actually get to our destination. As the rings needed to get from Canada to here, we needed to get to X-Ring and Graduation. Once again, the people of X go out of their way to help. The best professors foster an environment where a student feels comfortable meeting them regularly, to bring their concerns or even calling them at home if there’s an issue. Many allow themselves to be addressed on a first-name basis and take the time to learn our names as well. I know I’ve had drinks with more than one over the course of my education, and I’m sure many of you have as well.

The friends you meet are also an important part of the journey. Personally, I don’t know if any of us would get through without the support of our peers. Notesharing, signing each other into class when one of us sleeps in, setting up phone-chains to make sure we all get up for those ungodly 9 AM exams. When you’re pacing the halls, freaking out over that paper that just isn’t getting written, you can always count on finding someone who will hit up Timmy’s with you so you can get your mind off the stresses for a while.

And the community at large holds the X-Spirit for us as well. It was so moving to find out, when there was a chance that our rings might not make it, that London Alumni selflessly offered up theirs so we could at least have rings for the ceremony. People who are involved with the airlines were pulling strings to make sure they’d get here on time. It seemed, no matter what snag came up, there was someone with an X-Ring, and even some without, ready to lend a hand. Contacts from both sides of the ocean working together for such a little, but important thing. It is truly a compelling story, which has wound up with an almost movie-like happy ending. And it makes me beam with X-Pride, knowing that I’m a part of it and only hope I’ll be able to help future generations like yours have helped us.

Thank you. (end)

Reading this back sure does bring back some good memories. We had a fantastic party afterward, and it was a ceremony dedicated to the four of us, which I know made us feel so special and so loved. A couple of the Newfoundland boys wrote us a song, Lee sang 'In My Life' by the Beatles for us. They even compiled a couple of slideshows of our adventures in England, including some embarrassing ones with me and my blue hair. We even headed to the Marquis, our local pub, and had some drinks with the locals. They were surprised at us all dressed up, but it was great.
The Harlow Crew, celebrating with us

I think I'll close there for tonight, on a positive note. I want to throw a shout-out to Carly Wignes as well, who reads the blog and my column who made a point a couple weeks ago. She responded on how I seemed to be more of a health promoting kind of guy as opposed to a vegetarian, which is true. You can eat all the steak you want, so long as you're healthy about it. lol.

Cheers all and happy St. Francis Xavier Feast Day to all. It's bigger than Christmas, I assure you.

I'm Still Alive

2007-11-22T13:41:00.000-04:00

Hey folks,

Just a quick update to let you all know I'm still alive. I'm in the height of paper season, and so all of my writing talent and creativity is being poured into that facet of my life, and the blog is suffering as a result. More frequent posts will be coming back soon, I promise.

Vegetarian-wise I'm still going strong. Even had them alter the menu for the Staff Party Christmas Dinner so that they would have a vegetarian alternative. Vegetarian lasagna, and I hear the caterer is quite good, so yum :). I also consider it a small victory. Now, I just need to call up my sister and make sure she remembers that I will require a vegetarian alternative at her wedding. lol.

In a future post I'll be ranting on about toxic chemicals and their solutions, which is the theme of the paper I'm working on at the moment, but for today I'm going to spare you that - since any talking I do on the subject should be put into the paper.

Other than that, not too much going on in the life. Papers and work have kindof taken over. Like I said before, just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive

Cheers all

Quick Update

2007-11-14T14:04:00.000-04:00

Just a small thing relating to last night's post.

The Green Party, in polls of voter intention has surpassed the NDP and is now ranked 3rd as Official Parties in Canada.

Now, it's time to get her into the debates. Its my hope that you'll all click here and read about how through an email and letter campaign we can force this TV Consortium to allow Elizabeth into the Leadership Debate. Personally I've watched the debates in the past, and I've heard Elizabeth speak at a couple of guest lectures, and I can tell you - she'll shake things up if she gets her voice in the debates.

I'm normally not this politically active, but hey - let's shake things up a bit. Get some change going. Who says we need full-out social and economic collapse to see real change? Let's break the apathy and get started. Even if you aren't a Green Supporter, I would suggest shooting off a quick email to get her into the debates, to allow for fair democracy to take place. She deserves to have that podium in order to lay down the Green Platform - if anything, it will help destroy the ignorance and misconceptions that many people still have regarding the Green Party.

Anyway, I won't take up any more of your time with this. Just check it out, see what you think.

Cheers all

Think Globally, Act Locally, Think Locally, Act Globally.

2007-11-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

The four things we need to do in order to save our planet.

Sounds complicated right? Well, it is and it isn't, and then it is again. As you can tell, this blog is going to be a bit confusing. lol. I'm going to be talking about some Green Issues and good ideas that are important to me and are going to be important political platforms in the next election.

I'll start off by talking about how I wound up at a nice pub dinner with Elizabeth May, Leader of the Canadian Federal Green Party. Though she's really more of a spokesperson as the Green Party isn't structured like other Canadian Political Parties. There's no 'right' or 'left' to them. Like myself, there's a sense of 'In order to maintain the economy, you need a living planet to keep it going.' When thought about it this way, the environment is actually a pretty key issue, underlying everything else.
(Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party. I would've had a picture with her, but I still can't find my camera.)

Anyway, so we had a dinner with Ms. May (technically Dr. May, but even she talks about how the honourary doctorates feel a bit like cheating, lol. I've chosen to keep calling her Elizabeth, as I felt that kindof first-name connection from her. I wouldn't go so far as to call her Liz, but you never know, in future dealings, perhaps we'll get to that comfort level. lol.). and it was a series of discussion. It was a square table, so Phil and I were talking to a lovely couple who drove Phil down and are grassroots supporters of Elizabeth and the Green Party and have been quite active in Central Nova, where Elizabeth will be running for MP in the next election. Some of you may recall she ran in North London a couple years back in a bi-election and nearly got in. Which would have been exciting as I come from the riding just south of it (Elgin-Middlesex). But that has nothing to do with the current topic. Besides which, I probably would have never met her had she won there. Instead, now she's here near our academic community, which has provided several options to hear her speak and finally to actually meet her and discuss a few things.

Her talk tonight was on how to make policy local. Basically, ground-up efforts organized first by the community, surrounding their issues, and building up towards a multi-departmental, provincial-federal collaborative approach to dealing with these issues. Whether through proper policy or some other Government action available to us. Seems like a pipe-dream right? Well, in some ways it is - but in more ways, its makes so much sense it is ridiculous that we haven't been doing this all along. Especially when we have evidence of HUGE screwups with our antiquated, top-down policy regime. The Atlantic Cod stocks for example. The policy didn't match what was happening on the ground (in the ocean in this sense) Big Business had the Government's ear and was steering the ship, to the ultimate destruction of the Cod Stocks and the industry as a whole, collapsing an entire economy. You can't tell me that's good for business.

I also want to show how the Green Party isn't just a bunch of tree hugging hippies. While there is a fair amount of tree hugging (trees get lonely too), May did an excellent job at conveying how the idea of being Green branches out into the policy of basically every department and beyond. Just to take from her example, one of the Party Platforms is to rebuild and make better the train infrastructure in Canada, in order to relieve pressure from the Highways. It would do this through mass transportation (which from personal experience, riding the rails is a fantastic way to travel), taking more trucks off the road for shipping, easing traffic, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by taking so many cars and trucks off the road, while only adding a handful of train engines who's unit output of toxins may be higher, but when taken overall their net effect on the environment would be lower than that of those people and cargo individually in cars. Socially, it also has an effect. On those long journeys, you're bound to make a friend or two sitting beside you, or in the dining car over a meal.

Where to move from this? Oh yes. Little known fact time: Did you know, that Lucien Bouchard, founder of the Bloc Quebecois, was actually Minister of the Environment under Mulroney - and quite progressive at that. When brought through controversial environmental situations, apparently his first question was always "What's best for the environment?" Showing a truly fantastic focus on what a politician in their own department should be looking at. How does this effect what I'm doing? He was also the Minister that introduced the first climate cap.

Anyway, back to local governance after those tangents. Basically, it brings the idea that if you build policy from the ground-up the less you can ignore bad policy, because the people that live there and have their lives staked in a living, breathing community are going to tell you if something isn't working or that it will threaten their way of life. It promotes slower decision making, but those decisions made work out better for all parties involved.

I could talk about all of this for hours, but I don't want to rant on too much. Mostly, this kind of governance works like a living organism - and if we think of ourselves as living organisms, both as seperate human beings, but also part of the greater creature that is our planet we can see that these ground up approaches are really the way to go. More local control over what is happening in our own communities can serve to enrich us all and maximize our potential as humans on this Earth.

Suffice it to say, Elizabeth's talk was fantastic, and if you ever get a chance to hear her speak I would suggest taking that opportunity to hear a very eloquent speaker whose ability to communicate the Green message is phenomenal, as you can tell she deeply believes in her cause.
So nothing really about vegetarianism tonight. Not really much to say, things are going well, had a nice lunch and dinner. Moreso I figured I'd take this opportunity to talk about some of my political leanings and ideas, as this is my blog and I can talk about whatever I want. lol. Though, really - when you think about it - Vegetarianism, which for me has evolved into animal rights, which connects to human health and agriculture, which attaches to resource management and the environment. It all kindof snowballs. When you become activist on one point, it follows suit that the others will begin to connect as well because its difficult to be enlightened on one subject while remaining ignorant of all those that interconnect with it.

Well that's it for me. I'm going to leave you with a quote from Elizabeth

'The fault isn't in your inability to understand politics, the fault is in politics inability to understand reality."

Cheers all

'I Tried to think of the one thing that couldn't possibly destroy us...'

2007-11-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

Hey folks,

I need a new opening line: Maybe even a new title for the blog to better represent what I talk about. I'm opening it up to suggestions, see what people think.

This week, I wasn't so impressed with the column I wrote. Next week I need to get back into top form and write a better one. This one deals with nutritional supplementation in a vegetarian or vegan diet. Which I think is important information to get out there to people, but for next week's article I want to dive back into things that are centric around Antigonish and really connect again with the ideas that revolve around being a vegetarian in smalltown Nova Scotia.

Anyway, that's about the column. And I love blogging as compared, because I can rant on endlessly, there's no need to really censor myself to remain unoffensive or not extreme, and my grammar doesn't have to be as good. Though good grammar is sexy, for anyone who was wondering.

The one main point of this post however is a harsh lesson learned. I went 20 days without eating animal product (excluding the occasional something with egg or milk product in them - as its hard to avoid). Moreover, basically I cut out red meat entirely, while also not eating chicken or eggs directly and I'm making progress in cutting them out more and more. But anyway, I went 20 days of the 21-day challenge (which ended Friday by the way, I'll talk more about that afterward). It was on the 21st day that I received a huge lesson. And if there's anything that Ghostbusters has taught us, it is that Marshmallows are the root of all evil. That's right - the one thing that thwarted me on this vegetarian journey wasn't roasted chicken, or a burger, or even a beautiful porterhouse steak - it was a marshmallow. For those of you who are now thoroughly confused, let me tell you about gelatin. Gelatin is a kindof gooey product that is placed in many desserts as a kindof thickener and make-jiggly-er, as in with jello. Gelatin is made from animal bone and tendons - most often cow or pig. Which makes it animal-product, especially that of the red meat animal variety. You can imagine the thwarted feeling I had after eating a marshmallow first, before reading the ingredients. And so thus, the marshmallow, as proven by Ghostbusters, is an evil, terrible thing disguised in puffy deliciousness.

But aside from that example, I completed my vegetarian challenge, and let me tell you, it feels good. It doesn't feel good to be over - in fact it's continuing - it feels good that I accomplished the challenge and am really feeling better in my life. I'm healthier, I've lost weight, my attitudes towards most things are better, I've met a wonderful girl, and everything seems to be coming up Millhouse (err... Adam). It is truly amazing what a change in diet can do for someone. And all it is, is considering the food you eat, which really isn't all that difficult. After 3 weeks I hardly have cravings for meat anymore, and when I do its mostly for chicken. Red Meat doesn't even hit the radar anymore.

I also figured out that Amira is quite clever. As most of you know, when I started this, my body went through a phase of "What the hell are you doing to me?!". Well, now that three weeks have passed, I look at what my diet used to be, and what it is now, and the changes that would have to take place to go back there, and think my body would probably go through many of the same, if not worse, pains. And I'm not a big fan of unnecessary pain. Plus it would require another very expensive grocery shop, when my cupboards are now stocked and prepared for a vegetarian diet. Now, I don't know if Amira did this kind of timing on purpose, or whether its just happenstance and I'm making odd connections, but I would suggest that if she does this again next October that someone who reads this blog take up the challenge and become Vegetarian for 21 days. Next time around, I'll be going Vegan (if I don't before that point).

Speaking of wonderful ladies in my life, I went over to Nadia's place last night (that's her name) and made us a dinner. A curry dish, comprised mainly of potato, with green pepper and green beans as well. It wasn't the best I've ever made, and was missing tomato, which I felt was crucial, but it was good nonetheless - and as always I made too much, and so I think made a good impression on the roomates as I fed them as well. It's always important to get in good with the roomates. One of them is from my hometown of St. Thomas actually. The famous Danielle who I keep confirming and denying eats babies here on the Blog.

I want to toss up a recipe, and give a shout-out as well though. One of the best discoveries I've found so far, is that bananas can be used as a substitute for eggs in some baking recipes. I made some oatmeal cookies tonight and they were fantastic. Props has to go out to www.vegweb.com and Satan, who submitted it (Hey - he might be the devil, but he has good cookie recipes. I'm not here to judge). You can find the recipe here. And let me tell you, they are fantastic. I added walnuts to the recipe and would've added caramel or butterscotch chips if I had any. My roomate gave them a try as well and said they were very good. "They feel healthy" was an exact quote from her. They are absolutely delicious and scrumptious and everything else. Made me fall in love a little bit with baking. Which is interesting because I'm not much of a baker. Anyone who's ever seen my cooking style will know I don't tend to measure and am actually quite erratic around the kitchen.

Oh, a retraction from the last post on my blog. This is regarding Kayleigh, whom I referred to as Pat's lovely lady. I'd just like to say right here right now, that this is by no means a sexist or prejudiced column and I accept everyone as their own person. Kayleigh, you are of course your own woman and a lovely lady in your own right. As Pat said the other night "I don't own her". Which is very true. Anyway, just had to put that out there. Hope this makes amends Kayleigh.

... And remember: To destroy the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, cross the streams of your proton packs in order to close the doors of the Sumerian Gods who are trying to destroy our World.
Cheers All

Afternoon Delight

2007-11-08T13:29:00.001-04:00

Hey folks,

You might get two updates today, as I'm doing the first in the afternoon and you never know what work will hold.

Its been a few days yet again. I meant to post last night, but I had gone out to Open Mic night with some friends down to the Pub. As always, we had a great time. Tricia was out for the first time in a long time, so it was fantastic to see her, and several others were also out, which made the night that much more enjoyable, and they ate wings while I watched longingly. lol. just kidding - I find myself less and less attracted to meat - holding reservations only about having given up fish and chicken - and from some recent reading on how chickens are raised, I'm not 100% sure I want to go back to eating them either. And as for fish - as many of you know, I'm an Aquatic Resources Major, and thus know all about the terrible practices that revolve around fish farming and bioaccumulation of mercury in salmon, etc. It seems, when it comes to meat and animal products (eggs, milk, etc) I can't escape unethical practices unless I go and hunt it myself.

Which brings up some ideas (this idea just dawned on me, so bear with me as we figure it out together). In my Humans and the Environment class we've been discussing protected areas, conservation areas, etc. On top of this, looking at the different classifications and allowable human impact in some of these areas. Things like Integrated Resources Management, the elimination of clearcutting and the overall mawy of Natural Resources, for all of its foibles in the past, and like any ministry, has its flaws, really holds some of the most ethical practices when it comes to animal and plantlife. With a primary focus on sustainable management and the protection of species in their natural habitats, as opposed to zoos and arboretums, it is a model that works out so much better than our established agriculture practices.

This is all brought up because of the false idea that to be organic is to be ethical. Organic Farms all over the place are still cramming in more animals, keeping them in unnatural conditions (keeping thousands of chickens in close quarters, who never see the light of day and go mad)(thanks to Vegetarian Organic Blog and The Arcata Eye). Often, these large corporations who were until very recently producing standard animal products, have done the bare minimum to be considered 'organic' while missing the point entirely. The whole idea of being organic isn't just having hormone and antibiotic free eggs at any cost. The standards of organic should grow beyond, taking in elements of animal rights and natural processes, such as allowing hens to raise their own chicks, not keeping them in incubators. I don't know about anyone else, but I think I'd be a little screwed up too if I never met my mother and was kept under heat lamps all the time.
In short, we should all start demanding that farming practices not only become organic, but also apply a strict code of ethics on how animals can be treated. If I may rant on about cows and milk again (I know I do this nearly every day - but that's how much it irks me) Cows being injected with hormones and being fed genetically engineered feeds in order to increase milk production - initial studies by Monsanto (not a very reputable company) said it had no adverse effects on humans, but what about the cows? They can produce up to 15% more milk, but the cow is the same size. To me, it seems like really having to pee, then drinking an extra litre of water. It would be painful and uncomfortable. Why can't we allow these animals, who deserve the same amount of rights that we do, be natural and coexist without being exploited?

Anyway, that is my rant and moral dilemma for the day. On to other news, I just had my 2nd meeting with Amira, and am on day 20 of this 21-day challenge. Officially one more day of vegetarianism before I'm allowed to go back to my carniverous ways. However, I'm not sure I'll be going back to those ways. This whole experience has been so great, and so much has happened in these three weeks that I feel it would be unfair, both to my readers and to myself to just jump ship on the vegetarianism and healthier lifestyle and go back to the way I used to be. I also consider the fact that my body has now adjusted to this kind of lifestyle and food structure, and to go back would probably be extremely painful on my digestive tract.

My 2nd Article for the Xavarian Weekly is published, where I deal with the trials and tribulations of grocery shopping as a vegetarian. I would suggest picking up a copy and giving it a read. People seem to really be enjoying the articles, which again makes me happy. It feels like this decision is not only bettering myself but also helping others and bringing to light our connections with food and how it can impact our daily lives.

Well that's about it from me for this session. Perhaps I'll have something more this evening after work. We'll see what the Lumber Industry has to say about things

Cheers all

Bees are People Too

2007-11-04T23:00:00.001-04:00

Hey folks,

Well its been a crazy few days, so sorry to my faithful readers about not putting up any new posts. It happens though, and never fear, I will always come back to give updates on what's going on.

Alright, well where to start? Go from now and work backwards, or try to recall what was going on a few days ago? I know. I'll start on my 2nd Grocery Shop. Went to the grocery store Friday night after doing some recon at lunch Friday afternoon (a working day, so I spend my lunches at the grocery store a lot) and became very disillusioned at the lack of healthy vegetarian options in the frozen foods section. There are no vegetarian hungry man meals, and I was a hungry man. Felt very misrepresented. In the end I found a vegetable penne from President's Choice Blue Menu, and some vegetable chow mein.

And so I ate the chow mein for lunch, which wasn't all that bad, then had the penne the next day for lunch which was actually quite tasty. but that gets me off of my causal track. Back to the grocery shop Friday night. It went well and was much cheaper than the first when I had to buy all of the condiments and everything first. Excited about my new sea-salt and pepper mill and my Szechwan Sauce. Found a couple of new fruits that were interesting. A starfruit and dragonfruit. Odd looking things that were expensive, but I might invest next time if I can figure out what the heck they are. I decided on a new type of bread, as the last brand wasn't quite me. This one is a flaxseed bread and so will carry lots or iron and protein as well - which is always a good thing. Have to keep those levels up. Other than that, mostly just the usual produce and almond milk and a couple of other fixin's. Oh - and I feel guilty about it, but I bought a box of chocolate chip cookies. I felt so bad, actually, that I ate a couple and have given the rest to my roomates to finish off. They were quite pleased.

After the shopping and putting away of groceries I wrote my 2nd article for the paper (the 1st has been received quite well, which was exciting for me). This one pertains to grocery shopping and certain do's and don'ts for people trying to be more vegetarian, with a few tips on how to wash produce and what's more important when it comes to buying organic. I have a nice little rant about milk in there as well. Following the article I went and spent some time with friends over in New Rez (a residence on the campus I live at) and had a very lovely evening in the company of fantastic people.

Saturday started off like any other Saturday. Work, lunch, work, home. I had intended to stay in and watch the Jungle Book but was dragged out by Nadia, whom I met through Danielle (who eats babies, as reported in previous blogs) to a pre-X-ring party. It was one month til X-Ring yesterday, and so all the seniors were out to celebrate. I already have my X-Ring from last year, but it was fantastic to be out nonetheless.(In Picture, left to right: Myself, Natalie and John)

I suppose I should explain X-Ring for those of my readers not familiar. For those that get it, feel free to skip over this part and go on to my rating of Bee Movie. The X-Ring is a ring that 4th year students of my University, St. Francis Xavier University, receive on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier (December 3rd). It's of very simple design and is the 3rd most recognized ring in the World, after the Pope's Ring and the NFL Ring. It is a very big deal to us, and is part of an ages long tradition. It solidifies us all into the Xavarian Family and connects us to all others with X-Rings all over the World. It's not uncommon to run into someone in Paris or Rome with an X-Ring and strike an instant friendship with them over a simple piece of gold. It is a networking tool, but it is also a symbol of accomplishment. It carries a weight of authority to it as well, as it is something earned through four years hard work. And we're nuts over it. We have countdowns as far back as first year, anticipating the day when we get to walk up onto the stage and get our Ring. The party afterwards is also quite fantastic, as we on the East Coast definitely know how to throw a good party.

Anyway, so that's the X-Ring. On to my review of Bee Movie.

Today was just another Sunday as per usual. Knitting Society, studying, chatting with roomates - but with an exception tonight. Nadia and I decided to take in a movie, and as we have a one-screen theatre, Bee Movie was the movie of choice tonight. I for one enjoyed it. Jerry Seinfeld made a solid main character, with the supporting characters adding levels of hilarity throughout. Matthew Broderick as his best friend Adam (seen below), John Goodman as the old-timey Southern Lawyer, Renee Zellweger as his human love interest and Patrick Warburton(of Seinfeld and Family Guy fame) as her boyfriend it provided a lot of laughs, but also a significant message.

SPOILER ALERT

I know from reading review sites that it's important to say I might give away plot secrets. The whole story revolves around Barry, who enters the human world because he's just graduated college (hardest 3 days of his life) and is now supposed to enter the workforce. He winds up talking to a human and through a series of events discovers that humans have been cultivating honey from bees in an inhumane fashion for generations. He then decides to sue humanity for the honey that has been wrongfully stolen.

The court case that ensues and his later victory bring about important ideas and critiques about environmentalism, animal rights and resource management. to continue using the movie as example, a prime point of Barry's case is the fact that the bees in industrial hives are forced to smoke so that humans can steal the honey. This is seen as inhumane and unnatural to a bee's proper way of life.

It really brings a face to critique current practices when it comes to animals and even plantlife. The way that humans, as a species (not pointing any fingers here), generally exploit the natural world, not really thinking about the wider ramifications. We use indiscriminately and don't consider the damage we're causing to the surrounding ecosystem. Barry learns this lesson quickly when his actions lead to the bees being rich in honey through reparations, but because they have so much, they no longer need to work to produce honey, and all flowers and plants begin to die because pollination ceases to occur.

This can be expanded into arguments in our lives as well, looking at current farming practices, which don't allow the animals to act naturally, to culturing special plants to meet our own ends, which are reliant on chemicals that are contributing to the destruction of our planet. It is a movie that really points out that a natural system, where we cooperate with nature, is a system that we can maintain sustainably and really bring profit and wellbeing for all involved.

Well that's my rant on the movie and its messages. I don't want to stay on my environmental high horse for very long. lol. But I will say this - the final scene, where Barry is giving legal advice to a Dairy Cow really hit the spot, as most of you know my stance on the Dairy Industry as a whole.

Anyway, that's about it for me for tonight. I would suggest going and seeing the movie and thinking about some of these ideas.

Cheers all

... There They Are, Standing in a Row/Halloween Blogness

2007-11-01T22:12:00.000-03:00

Well folks, its been a couple days and I suppose I should update.

The last two days kindof blur together with the lack of sleep. Stayed up for approximately 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday.

#1. The Costume. Took me three days to design and build. A cardboard box robot that, I daresay, kicked ass. Put together and set forth upon the World, I'd say if there were contests to be entered, I would have won. I call it "The Adamtron: We Come in Pieces. Some Assembly Required. Batteries Not Included." Everyone loved it, and I daresay I may take the original design and improve on the model for next year.

#2. My people. Went and drank with a group of people, many of whom I didn't really know. Others I knew, so it was a good mix. They were done up to be Peter Pan and the Lost Boys (and Tinkerbelle was in there too, along with the Crocodile, aka Judy) and Conor was Conor from The Boondock Saints. And out to the bar, it was great times dancing and carrying on - even if my costume wound up destroyed and in a corner by the end of the night. But it lasted most of the night, so I'm not overly saddened. The Adamtron fulfilled its purpose. There were three other robots out there, but I daresay I was the best - many others agree if you hop over to facebook and read the comments. And it was overall a fantastic night - we watched some Shawn of the Dead, we had some drinks, went dancing, and when we got back even watched the Princess Bride. Which is a fantastic movie by any ratings.

A couple pointers for when you want to build a robot costume however. Make sure that the torso box is no wider than your chest minus the shoulders. My shoulders wound up inside and it greatly diminished mobility. Also - design your helmet/headpiece for optimum vision. I hadn't, and had to be led around and have drinks placed in my hands the entire night. If your mobility and sight are impaired due to the costume, make sure you're with trustworthy people who won't abandon you. I thankfully had a good crew who kept me safe from falling down stairs and getting lost in lines. Though a warning: A large box is used by the people to push and bulldoze through lines - and inside the box, you have little control.

Now, I must reach back to the coconut. I told you before that there was some controversy over it. And its true - the coconut is high in saturated fat. At least the milk and the meat is. The water is fine and actually quite thirst-quenching apparently. But the meat, and the milk (that is created with the meat) has saturated fat - which is technically bad for you. Now the health benefits however, really almost balance the equation. With a properly balanced diet (don't eat five coconuts a day kind of thing) you will be able to benefit from this fantastic nut (The coconut is considered a nut, not a fruit). I'm going to get one or two and see what I can make it a coconut anyway - and I'll report back here on my findings.

Anyway, I have work tomorrow morning and am quite tired. Tomorrow night I head out for a grocery shop, which should be fun and hopefully less expensive than the first. I only need a few items really.

Well that's it from me for tonight. Goodnight

I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts...

2007-10-30T22:30:00.000-03:00

As tonight's title would suggest, my blog tonight has at least one part to do with coconut. But more on that in a bit.

First off, I was up bright and early this morning and got a great jumpstart on my day. Mostly because I had to due to needing to get a headshot into the paper as soon as possible. Which resulted in my rushing to campus, meeting seven thousand people at the SUB, including Lauchlin (sp?) and Danielle. Danielle, the one who I can neither confirm nor deny eats babies, and is form my hometown and also works with the paper took my headshot with an apple, which will be there for all to see next week in the Xavarian Weekly. Which reminds me, I need to write up another article for them. I'll figure out a topic I'm sure.

After that, I came home, watched some of 'The Jeffersons' in their deluxe apartment in the sky. Laughed a lot. It was truly a great. Afterwhich I spray-painted my costume silver (and inhaled enough carcinogens to do me for the next five years I'm sure). But the costume is more-or-less done and it looks great. Hopefully I'll finally grab some batteries tomorrow, so there'll be pictures that I can post up here and on facebook for all to see. I call it my Awesometastic Robot From Mars.

From there, read an article, went to class. Spoke of Ethics with a guest lecturer who did (and continues to) do extensive research in Peru. She had photos and stories and all sorts of interesting situations that were quite fantastic and insightful.

Afterwhich I came home, and used the leftover curry I had from the other night to make a couple of wraps which were quite tasty. Filled me up enough for Humans and the Environment where we really focused in on the topic I'm really most passionate about, and that's integrated resource management or IRM. It's one fo the best concepts out there right now for managing our natural resources in a sustainable way with minimum impact to the ecosystems that surround us. Which appeals to me, because it leaves many processes to nature, without human interference, which is the way these ecosystems should work in order to maintain biodiversity and be allowed to evolve and remain healthy undisturbed.

I attempted to visit some friends after class, but they weren't home so I came home and watched some of the Biggest Loser with my roomate and her boyfriend. Afterwhich I came to the two discoveries I made tonight.

I was a bit hungry, so I decided to whip myself up a bowl of porridge. And while mixing the normal ingredients (quick oats, large oats, almond milk, almonds, walnuts, flaxseed, cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup) I saw my bag of shaved coconut just sitting there completely unused. So I grabbed it, and tossed in about a teaspoon's worth - just to see what would happen. To my amazement and delight, it brings a lovely touch to the porridge and will make it in more often methinks. Discovery number two has to do with pure vanilla. It burns when taken on its own. Just a warning to you all. I got a couple drops on my finger, so I licked it off and wow. It was a funny moment if anyone would've seen me in the kitchen.

If you'd like more information on coconut and its health benefits, type in 'coconut health' into Google and it brings up a plethora of results. Quite amazing really, I've been scanning it over and it seems to be another one of those miraculous foods that suits humanity quite well. In many forms, from the meat to the milk to the oils, coconut is a very versatile fruit. I would suggest everyone go out and get some, and try to work it into their diet's somehow. Either as some sort of snack, or adding it your cooking repertoire. I'm going to continue my investigation into the coconut and let you all know what I find.

And with that, I am at the end of my day. I'll be grocery shopping by the end of the week, and we'll see what new and adventurous foods I'll discover and try. Hopefully I'll grab a fresh coconut or two and I'll be able to experiment over the weekend.

Cheers all

Smoothalicious

2007-10-30T00:44:00.001-03:00

Hey Folks,

Well its Monday night, after Heroes and Journeyman, so its time for some bloggin about my day.

My two shows held me in captivity while I worked on my Halloween costume tonight. Its not exactly how I wanted it, but its working out well, except for a couple of engineering difficulties that I'll figure out tomorrow. For those in the dark, I am going to be the cardboard box robot walking around all night on Wednesday. Or at least until I trip, fall and the costume comes apart around me. Whichever comes first.

What else is new? Well, column is being sent to the printers tomorrow, which is exciting. You'll see me in print in next week's edition of the Xavarian Weekly. Very exciting. Tomorrow morning I get myself a headshot and then I'll be famous from there on in. lol.

Today I ventured into smoothie's - and let me tell you. Delicious. I made... are you ready for this? An apple-cinnamon peanut butter banana smoothie. Made with a gravenstein apple, a bit of cinnamon, a frozen banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter. Mix in half a cup of almond milk, blend and you have yourself one fine smoothie. Making myself another one tomorrow morning for breakfast.

For lunch I merely did a quick pasta, as I was in between classes and in a bit of a rush. Dinner was just some leftover curry and an apple while I was working on the costume.

Today in Environment and Society (my Soc Course) Our group did our presentation and it was successful in our eyes. We were excited to do it, and even more excited to get it done. It was on toxic chemicals, and we focused on a variety of topics, from industry, agriculture, government intervention all the way down to individual consumer use. There are startling numbers and figures out there when you discover how many chemicals we ingest over our lifetimes and how much is getting into the environment and bioaccumulating in the plants and animals, causing everything from mutations and birth defects, to the creation of superbugs and viruses that are adapting to our chemical formulas. Its scary stuff.

But not to leave you on a sad note, I also lost out again in negotiations. Apparently I'm just not a good negotiator. Myself, and Maria were fired actually, in a power game. We were in middle management positions, and due to a choice we made, siding more to the group with no power, rather than working with the Powers that Be, we wound up causing mayhem and were canned. Had a nice severance package of a blueberry muffin though. I didn't want to be middle management anyway.

I think anyway, when it comes to negotiations, I'm in a much better position when I have little to no power. Its from that point I can negotiate up and broker deals. From the other vantage points, as seen in the last two weeks, it's very difficult. The pressure and corrupting and scheming nature of power is truly a disastrous thing. Though lessons learned every time, for sure. We'll see. Plenty of the course left to make successful negotiations and make big wins.

As for overall vegetarianism and health, I am remaining quite successful, with a huge minimum in toxins entering my body, while the healthy-eating is at a definite top. No hardcore cravings in the last couple of days, which is nice as well. I'm already 11 days into it - past the halfway point, and I was surprised when I counted it out. It hasn't felt near that long. And it has been fantastic, all of the support that family and friends have given. I may even be joining a cooperative food-share with one of my roomates.

Well that's about all the excitement for may day. I'm off to bed.

Cheers All

She's just a Pacifist, He's just a Patriot.

2007-10-28T22:37:00.000-03:00

Hey Folks,

Its Sunday. And as you all know, I'm a fan of Sundays. They're my only true day "off" even though it winds up full of events and projects and things I don't get to do the rest of the days of the week.

Started off the day, waking up nice and late. Slept in till about 11:45 and lazed around until 2 PM. Had some toast and then headed it off for my Knitting Society meeting where I finally (after about eight months) finished my ipod sock. It's the first project I've created with the use of the four-needle method of knitting as opposed to the two-needle method. It's a wreck, with all sorts of mistakes and it wound up being too big, but I like it. It has character.

Other than that, knitting was same as it ever was. We hung around, gossiped, spoke of our weeks and weekends. Every Sunday we're there - anyone interested in learning how to knit is welcome to come by. We'll teach you - just grab some needles and yarn from 5 to a dollar or Wal-Mart and come on down. 2-4 Sundays.

After that I finished off my research and presentation setup for my Soc 323 project on toxic chemicals. My section was on Government Legislation, both domestic and international. Pretty interesting stuff to me, but most probably read the last sentence and tune right out. I think I condensed it quite well, and the project is looking good. We were a good group together. Able to delegate and figure out our tasks to get it done as efficiently as possible. We should be good to go for tomorrow.

Tonight for dinner I really treated myself. I made myself a vegetable curry. Patak's makes a curry paste that is quite tasty (and in a variety of spice intensities). I just had a mild curry tonight, but it was tasty nonetheless. Potatoes, tomatoes, onion, garlic and a bit of tofu for protein, all with a Garlic Naan. It was fantastic. And went over far better than the girls pizza. I dunno how the Alexander's Pizza Delivery Guys drive, but their first pizza (they returned it for a new one) the cheese and toppings had all slid off to one side. It was pretty hilarious from my point of view, cooking my delicious and nutritious curry.

Other than that, I just did some touching up work on this project, and called home to the family, who are all doing well back in Ontario. I'll be seeing them in less than 2 months. Flying home December 25th at 6:20 AM. Looks like I'll be spending Christmas Eve with the Tim Horton's ladies. But I doubt I'll be the only camper, we'll have our own great Christmas Eve together I'm sure. Get some booze and drink the night away (albeit discreetly lol).

Do yourself a favour and download and listen to 'Gulf War Song' by Moxy Fruvous. Fantastic song (I suggest because it just came on my iTunes).

Well that's it for me tonight. Have an early day tomorrow of meetings and classes and negotiations. We'll see what interesting situations I wind up in.

Cheers all

Got Milk?

2007-10-27T17:44:00.000-03:00

Hey folks,

I apologize for no real post yesterday. I was out late with my bro Pat (not my biological bro, but one of the people I've known longest here at X and one of my best friends, so he's like a bro), and was beat when I got home. I also had to work early this morning and desperately needed to get as much sleep as possible.

A friend of mine asked me about my views on dairy. Overall, I'm okay with it. I'm slightly lactose intolerant so I've never eaten/drank much of it. I do enjoy cheese however. For the 21-day challenge I have cut it completely out of my diet, except for where it might have been used to make the bread I'm eating, etc. So it connects with eggs in that way - another thing that I've never really eaten anyway. I have no moral objection to dairy - I would prefer to see some more ethical practices come about when it comes to treating Dairy Cows however. Free roaming, grazing, etc. Milking on the natural milk cycles.

Its important to note that the human belief that we are dependent on milk is kindof, well, made up. We are the only species that drinks another species milk, and after we are weened off of our mother's milk, the nutritional value of cows milk is really negligible. Especially if its not organic milk, which is liable to be laced with pesticides, herbicides and hormones (studies have shown that milk may be causing a higher incidence of twins in the USA). On top of all that, the fat content in milk makes it harmful as well. The benefits of vitamins and minerals, most notably calcium, can be found through a variety of other means that are much more natural to our bodies than milk.

Some examples of calcium alternatives to milk are almonds, brazil nuts, molasses, kale and leafy spring greens. All of which are easily integratable into one's diet. I keep raw almonds on me all the time as a kind of snack food. And none of these hold the same risks that milk has.

And so, in conclusion, I suppose I'm not anti-milk, but it should be used extremely sparingly and only be obtained from organic and ethical sources. In a wonderfully delicious cheese sauce for example.
-----------------------------------------------------

The last two days have been quite nice. I made it over a week (Friday was my one week mark) and I'm still going strong. Still battling cravings, but those will take a while to subside I figure. I actually had a dream the other morning where I went to have breakfast, and there was nothing but meat. I quite literally didn't know what to do. lol.

But last night I enjoyed a few organic beers with Patrick. It was his birthday this week and so I went over to share some festivities with himself and his lovely lady Kayleigh. A suggestion - look up the online series called 'Trapped in the Closet'. It's written by R. Kelly and is hilarious.

Organic beer is interesting, and very clean tasting. The stuff I drink is from Mill St. Brewery in Toronto, which makes me enjoy it even more as its a good Canadian beer. They come in smaller bottles and contain less alcohol content, but the flavor makes up for it. It is amazing to go from the organic beer to a regular domestic and detect the definite differences in tastes.

Well that's about it from me. I worked all day today, which was standard for me on Saturdays (I've had 2 Saturdays off in the last six months) and I won't bore you with the details of Hardware Store dealings. And tonight I'll be visiting a friend's new place, which by happenstance is the same apartment I had two years ago. lol. Should be fun to go down memory lane.

Cheers All

One Week

2007-10-27T01:04:00.000-03:00

Sorry Folks - I'm tired.

No real blog tonight, I'll do a double one when I get home from work Saturday.

The Food Connection

2007-10-25T21:39:00.001-03:00

Wow, it's an early post. Haven't even entered into tomorrow yet. Quiet night I suppose.

The day started as any other, finishing and polishing off assignments before eating some food and heading to class. Today's was especially interesting as it was the completion of my Observations and Assignment One for Anthropology, which ties directly in with my foray into vegetarianism. Moreover, not only on vegetarianism but the ideas surrounding how connected or disconnected we are from our food. In this paper, and in my life I'm promoting the idea that we need to reconnect with our food, and if we can reconnect with it, we will appreciate the process by which food gets to us. And it is with the realization of the process that we will begin to change to more ethical practices.

And so I put a challenge on the table for my readers, and I'd like feedback on how it worked. I'm nearing completion of my first week as a vegetarian, and I would like everyone out there to do one dish this week - cooked completely at home with entirely fresh ingredients. Nothing canned or packaged. The only things that can be packaged are pastas, but they have to be whole grain pastas. And of course, when it comes to grains and rice, they come in packages, but you get the idea. All fresh fruits and vegetables, if you decide on using meat, fresh cuts (preferably from ethically run establishments if you're privy to that kind of information). I would suggest making a date or a dinner event out of it. Organize a potluck for this weekend or even for next weekend with these rules in place. Do your best to not make meat the centre-point. Experiment with spices. Go nuts basically - As said in a famous quote "Do one brave thing every day... then run like hell."

There's really not all that much more to say in tonight's post, except for my dinner. A penne pasta dish, with whole grain noodles (its suggested that one only eat pasta once a week anyway) and the "Sauce" as it were (it wound up being more like a bruschetta spread on noodles) consisted of onion and garlic as a base, as it pretty much necessary in any meal, and into it went a mixture of fresh tomatoes, orange pepper (quite the taste to it) and some tofu for protein. Spices and herbs included chili flakes, cayenne and black pepper, and fresh basil, thyme, oregano, and chives. Mixed it altogether and ate it down completely. It was very good - almost a variation of last night's dinner except with noodles instead of Quinoa. This week's been insane and I'm hoping next week will be quieter so I can perhaps lend a bit more creativity to my meals. I also have to hit the grocery store and get some more supplies.

After that, I watched some of The Hour with Strombo, and came up here to do my post and finish my article for the paper.

Well that's about it from this end. Tomorrow's a big day. 1 Week since I started.

Cheers

And the Lord Said, Let There Be Funk

2007-10-25T01:25:00.000-03:00

Good morning.

Its just past 1 here in Antigonish and I just got in from the first sober night at a bar I've ever had. It was interesting. But we'll get to that afterward, as I always do my blogs in chronological order (in the order in which it happened to me in the day).

Today was a bit rushed. Woke up late, so I grabbed a 12-grain bagel and an apple juice on the way to class to supplement my normal breakfast of porridge. It was good, but I forgot to grab an apple on the way out, so not quite as filling.

But I made it to class, where we discussed Biodiversity Loss - which was cool because I had just finished a paper on the topic in another class so I had a bunch of data to back myself up. One really interesting point though, in my mind, because I think its often forgotten by most (including myself). That plantlife is very much included in biodiversity loss and extinction. Most people consider the Panda and the Whales and all sorts of other animals and kindof forget that the plants suffer from biodiversity loss as well. And if the plantlife has less genes to go around, then its like humans - they begin to suffer from ailments and are more susceptible to diseases and illnesses and then these plants really are threatened with extinction.

Anyway, that's my pseudo-biology rant for the day. Afterward I finished my observations and field notes, this time with only being interrupted a couple times for short periods so it was a pretty solid observation day. After that, I got a new haircut. I still need batteries otherwise I'd have a picture for all of you, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

I'm currently looking for a tofu (doesn't necessarily need to incorporate tofu, but it needs to be vegetarian) meatloaf recipe if anyone knows of a good one out there. I've got some slightly stale bread I need to use up before it goes bad, and meatloafs are traditionally good for that.

Didn't really have much of a lunch, outside of munching on some carrot sticks, but for dinner I finally used Quinoa. And its quite the interesting grain. Another new texture, and a little goes a long way. I accidentally made too much. It's quite filling. And I did it with a stirfry-type meal. Though I've decided I'm learning how to make different sauces to give different spices and flavors to my meals.

After dinner I had Positive Space Training. Which is a fantastic thing by the way. It's run by the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender) community, and its a program designed to inform individuals and groups on the issues and the situations surrounding that community. The program is designed to make those of us who are trained Allies to the LGBT Community. We then make ourselves visible to the community for anyone who might be seeking information or help regarding gender and sexuality issues. It's an excellent program, and I'd suggest that anyone interested in becoming an ally to contact me and I can get you into contact with those who set up the sessions.

I then came home, got changed and headed out for the night. I stopped first to see my friend Donna-Marie, as I hadn't visited her in a while and she lived near the bar where I was going to see the band, so it was a good middle-point to take a rest before going out. Also, her roomate was going to the show, so I went over with her, so as not to seem like a loser going to a show alone. lol. Anyway, Donna-Marie had a good visit and watched The Bionic Woman, which is a half-decent show so far. I didn't hold out high hopes, but its proving to hold its own weight against the slew of other new shows that are flooding the television waves.

Then Natalie arrived (the roomate) and we headed to the bar with her boyfriend to go see the band. I was there about half an hour before the band started and hooked up with the folks I was supposed to meet here, had a conversation with them, had a couple glasses of water and then it was to the dance floor because the band was starting. We jumped and jived and danced like crazy people right in the front row, and had ourselves a wicked good times. I believe the rest of them are still having a great one.

I myself also had a really good time, but with a couple critique's. The band, though fantastic, played basically the same set, which doesn't always really do it for me. I want to hear new stuff. Also, in the best of times I'm not a crowd person. Especially not a sweaty, drunken shovy crowd. And I lost the girls while I was at the front, and couldn't find them again, so I grabbed a bottle of water and figured it was about time for home. I'm a little famous for my 'Alright, I'm done for the night' moments. I often don't stay til close.

It was interesting however, because, as you know, along with the vegetarianism, I've cut out alcohol to the exception of special occasions (my friends birthday I might have a drink or two, and for halloween I might be tempted to have one or two drinks as well). And its a health reason too. Alcohol takes at least a week to get out of your system completely, and its linked to just about every known cancer ever. Not that I want anyone feeling guilty about drinking. I'm quite the fan of it myself. I've just recently been getting the feeling that in my life its becoming a bit excessive and I really should cut back. And what better time to make changes than when you're making other changes? Just another adventure to behold. And you know what, dancing and hanging out with everyone at the bar: Its still just as good once they get over the fact that its a glass of water in your hand and not another drink.

So I'm home, and that's been my day. Not the most exciting, really not any huge adventures, but an informative one with lots of friends and some dancing at the end. A good day overall.

Cheers

Bow Not to the Caffeine Gods

2007-10-23T17:41:00.000-03:00

Evening Folks

This is a post done in two parts. The first was before Humans and the Environment, my Tuesday Night course, and the other done after.

Well, I'm back doing observations at the SUB (and writing a quick bibliography - I hate bibliographies, always have. One of my pet peeves really). Had another stirfry with szechwan and I'm quite enjoying the taste. I think I'll have to get some of those peppercorns for myself and start making my own sauces and spice mixtures as I am a fan of the spicy.

One important point I feel I need to hit upon is to say that my thoughts are with those in California who are suffering through the blaze. I hope the weather starts to change before the entire State goes up in flames. For those of you not following the news, California is gripped in a tremendous drought and there have been massive forest fires, to the point where people are being evacuated. The CBC has an excellent encompassing report on it.

Today marked the beginning of my research into figuring out what to do with myself after I'm done school. And I discovered something interesting. There are all sorts of Canadian Internships (paid internships) for Organic Farmers. Several in Ontario and one out here in Nova Scotia that I'm seriously looking at as an option for post-post-Secondary life. I think it'd be great to work a season on an Organic Farm, figure out how these places are being run sustainably. Plus in Ontario they place me close to home so I can visit family throughout.

And though its not the only option (I have equally entertained ideas about becoming a plumber, doing internships in Africa and Europe and teaching English abroad) so far it seems like it'd be a good one right off the bat, and down the alley that I'm currently looking down with the vegetarian lens.

By lens I mean the way I'm looking at life through these new eyes, and how its important to not only be vegetarian, but perhaps also be a bit more activist. To pursue Organic Options and to look at how to cultivate, farm, and raise animals ethically and sustainably in a system that works with the Earth instead of trying to control and reorder it. In this way, even if I do go back to eating meat occasionally, a lot more research will have to be done in order to figure out where it came from, what the animal was fed, etc.

Thus concludes my pre-class section.

AFTERCLASS

Addiction is a funny thing. Yesterday were the cravings, and today I'm looking at the effects of what happens after you purge something from your system, only to reintroduce it to yourself. I had a tea tonight, and figured, since it was Green, it wouldn't have much caffeine, so I'd be fine (green tea does have caffeine, its just not as processed as black). Boy was I wrong.

Throughout, I've had little slips, and every time I'm reminded of why I'm doing this, and how toxic a lot of the things we eat and drink are on our systems. A little bit of personal history first though. Since first year of University (I'm currently in Fifth), I had developed a slight tick. Couldn't reason out why it existed, it was just there, and was often related to stressful times. Well, over these last few days, its been significantly less - to the point where I can't really recall twitching at all really. Until tonight and that tea (my other slips were a can of 7UP on Saturday and movie popcorn on Sunday). And so, it seems that caffeine is a downfall for me. And so, it seems like I'll be avoiding it as much as possible from here on out. It was just plain bizarre; out of nowhere I was suddenly irritable, nervous, and twitchy. I quite literally couldn't sit still - I kindof felt like Freakazoid over it all - and I get the feeling the effects were that much stronger as I had been clearing my body out of such toxins. Truly amazing discoveries I'm making every day on this adventure.

Anyway, that's about it for me and my day. Please, everyone who reads, leave comments if you so desire and ask questions if you have any. I'll be more than happy to reply to them in future posts or be able to point you in the right directions to resources that would be able to help.

Cheers all

Monday Cravings

2007-10-23T00:02:00.001-03:00

Good Evening,

How to start today's post? It was Monday (now technically Tuesday, but that's due to my shows). I try to do each post at the end of my day, so as to give an encompassing look. There were some interesting developments that I am excited about however. Started the morning the daily porridge and some fruit, no big change there, but it's a good place to begin.

I've started my observations for a research project over at the SUB (Student Union Building, also known as Bloomfield). Looking at student interaction through the lens of a recent vegetarian, and getting some interesting looks into peoples eating/study/social habits and how they all kindof interlink, and I'm attempting to extrapolate from that, the effects that potentially bad food might have on studying and interaction. Disclaimer however, that I am no doctor and am getting these ideas just from what I see. I only half have a research question, so its still all forming in my mind.

Now, on to the SUB Food, which is a large part of my examination. The first point is that its pointless to eat at the grill. Even the french fries are deep fried in the same batter as chicken fingers, chicken burgers and clams, so that takes them out of the market. The best bet is either the sub/wrap station for a veggie wrap, or to the stir fry location. Today I had my first stirfry with Italian vegetables, tofu and szechwan sauce on a bed of rice. It was good with a bit of spice, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And extremely cheap! Only $3. Made my life. And allowed me to check out the vegetarian option at the SUB, which is quite tasty, if a bit limited. Especially compared to the meat alternatives.

Today also marked the first day of cravings for those old foods that are so bad for you, but taste so good. A couple of times I nearly went into Tim Horton's and got the Iced Cappucino, and a few times I was tempted to grab that bag of Swedish berries, or a chocolate bar or bag of chips. And though, technically I'm allowed to eat them I've been attempting to cut those out too. The whole idea of you are what you eat. Once you start reading labels it really effects your views on foods and drinks. Amira gave some good advice on alternatives and how to combat these cravings however. She likened it to drug withdrawal, which isn't really far from the truth. I did consume a lot of coke and pepsi for the caffeine and the sugars, and so now that I've been four days without them, my body is starting to crave. Just like a smoker. So now its a game of will and alternatives. But I know I'll make it through, especially with the support of my friends and readers.

On the topic of friends and readers though, it is amazing that my choice to do this has inspired others to begin looking at their lives and their diets and looking at the alternative and healthier options to what is currently mainstream food. A couple of friends have peaked interest, and I know many others read the blog, which is astonishing. I'm amazed at how people have taken interest and are really into the journey as well, and want to be kept up to date on how I'm doing.
Well, after dinner at the SUB and conversation with some friends (I run into all sorts of people at the SUB while I'm there) I had my group meeting for Negotiations Class, and then Negotiations Class itself at 7. Which was an interesting one tonight. Mostly just a single negotiation, in which I wound up losing five dollars. It was our first negotitation with real money, and though I came up as a loser, I learned a lot of valuable lessons on relationship and trust building which will help me to plan and build negotiation relationships better in the future.

Then afterward, I continued with my Monday routine of watching Heroes and Journeryman on NBC. The only two shows I really watch. I download Robin Hood, a british series that started last year, and occasionally watch Chuck online, but that's about it for TV watching on my part. And they're all fantastic shows in my opinion. I would suggest giving them a view.

And breaking news - just came through and was basically officiated. I'm also going to be in print, ladies and gentlemen. As of next week's issues of the Xavarian Weekly, I will be writing a column for the health section. Which is quite exciting - make sure if you're a Xavarian that you check it out. I'll be talking about my adventures and trials as a Vegetarian at X, and maybe even putting in a recipe or two throughout the year to get your pallets salivating. I'll send a special thank you to Danielle who came up with the idea and pitched it to the Editor. You're awesome (contrary to popular belief, she does not eat babies in barbecue sauce)! (notice the exclamation point as well - she's a fan).

So that was Monday, October 22nd. Day four of the journey. Let's see what Tuesday has to offer

Cheers all

The Sunday Edition

2007-10-21T22:29:00.000-03:00

Well, its Sunday. I like Sundays. They're actually quite eventful for me, despite being the only day of the week I have 'off.'

But I did sleep in. And it was a good sleep-in, and I started the workout regiment that Amira set out for me, which, so far, appears to be doing well as well.

The day started as most others, with my good ol' porridge. Well, oatmeal. I'm really not sure if there's a difference. I'll Wikipedia it later. Although, if you look at it properly, Wikipedia is kindof the fast food of research and knowledge.

Anyway - so then I went to knitting. Which is always a good time with the girls. We don't have any guys in the knitting society besides myself unfortunately. I ate several pieces of fruit throughout and munched on some almonds and walnuts. Tragedy befell last night actually, when I was reaching into the cupboard above and my pecans fell into dishwater and were irreparably damaged. I mourned. I'll have to get some more tomorrow, but back to knitting. I'm working on an iPod sock and the girls were working on various projects. Hats, scarves, blankets, Zoe (with the zed key, not the zee key) is actually making a shirt. Looks nice - I told her I was going to make three, but I doubt I'll even get one finished.

At the meeting my vegetarianism took a forefront in conversation. Apparently its an interesting thing. So we discussed, and I explained how I'm substituting proteins and iron and everything else, and overall everyone thought it was neat I think. And the greenness is even coming out, as Zoe (again, with the zed key, not the zee) pointed out that by throwing out the apple core or banana peel, they'd just go to a landfill. And so, thankfully in my magical backpack of wonders, I had a ziploc bag so I could bring them home and dispose of them in the municipal compost bin. We also decided that knitting saves lives, as proven by Chi McBride on 'Pushing up Daises' when he saved them all with the cunning use of his knitting needles.

After that I did some research for a group project on toxic chemicals. It's for my Environment and Society Class, and as part of the project I'm to research the Government and Business interaction when it comes to the toxic chemical market. There'll be focuses on food labeling, allowable exposures, Business lobby groups, things like that. After the research and before the meeting I grabbed a cranberry juice and a muffin which filled the spot.

Afterward, on my trek home I ran into Kathleen at Shoppers Drugmart, and walked with her partway home (well, to about my house, which was on the way) (by the way, has anyone else noticed I apparently have a love affair with the comma?). I didn't have a particular mission at Shoppers, but I did tempt myself and didn't give in. Its funny, a lot of the things I used to eat I'm not very tempted by anymore. At least not in the third day.

And so, as a Sunday treat for myself for getting so much accomplished, I headed her to the movies and saw Resident Evil 3. Which isn't without its charm - I am a fan of the zombie movie, I will admit, and I do get a kick out of cinematic violence, especially of the superhero kind that was available in this one with Alice. Super powers, super strength and taking out a villainous corporation that has destroyed the World. Sometimes a simple black and white script makes one feel a bit better. Mostly it was just an action flick that let me tune out for two hours though.

One thing - I got a small box of popcorn, and hardly ate any of it. Far too salty, it hit the pallet and was almost immediately rejected. One of those things I suppose. A few weeks ago, if it had been a box of blueberry's or something, I'm sure my pallet would've had similar reaction. Plus movie popcorn is by no means top of the list when it comes to good popcorns to eat.

Well, I'm still a bit peckish as I haven't had a proper dinner yet, so I think I might make myself another bowl of porridge (I looked it up - oatmeal is traditionally reserved for the dry oats before being made into a porridge). Or maybe just a small bowl of Quinoa. I unfortunately didn't get to do my stuffed pepper, but maybe tomorrow for lunch. I also think I may tackle hummus.

As a final note, as I didn't get it into yesteday's post, I am very psyched that Amira, whom I speak praises of nearly every day here on my blog, has posted a paragraph about me in her most recent newsletter, which can be found at www.vegetarianorganiclife.com - I would suggest signing up. She offers some great recipes and resources and is the reason I'm doing this (well she gave the incentive - the reason is to become healthier and more aware of what I'm eating, which I'm discovering in spades).

Anyway, that's it for me for today.
Cheers all

Good times at Tofu High

2007-10-20T20:02:00.000-03:00

Greetings my fellow adventurers,

Well today is day 2, and it was a pretty good day, aside from the rain, which thankfully held off until I was to work. The morning routine was a walk to work, accompanied by some fruit. A good ol' apple. And another when I got to work. Break with a banana and some nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds) and lunch peanut butter sandwich on whole grain molassus bread. Which is pretty tasty stuff if I may say so myself.

A word on labeling. I drank my last can of pop today (broke down and got a 7UP - which is now touted as being completely natural btw) and, as Amira informed - there are things like Sodium Benzoate and all sorts of other scary sounding chemicals in those. Not to mention 42g of sugar. In one little can. Freaked me right out.

Also - did you know, that most conventional maple syrups, like the discount brands and even the trusted Aunt Jemima, only contain about 15% real maple syrup. Makes me wonder what the other 85% is.

Other than that - I find my appetite is more under control, and that I require smaller portions of food in order to feel satisfied with my meal. Also, I already feel less fatigued after a meal. For example, beforehand, I'd go to Superstore or McDonalds and get a meal. Eat it, it'd be tasty, but I'd be sluggish all afternoon. So then I'd get a pepsi, but that would just get me jittery. Meanwhile now - I'm eating mostly grains, nuts and fruits for lunch, and I find I'm alert throughout the workday, and I'm not having any issues getting to sleep at night at regularish times (around 11-12). I also have less compulsion to snack, and when I do its an apple or some nuts or something along those lines.

In case you can't tell, even though its just day two, I'm feeling extremely pumped about what I've been able to accomplish so far. Family will tell you that this is extremely out of sync with what my eating habits were six months ago, even six days ago.

And if I can figure out how to make tofu better, we'd be in some proper business. I'm sure it comes with experience, like with any cooking. By the end of these three weeks, watch out. I'm thinking tomorrow I might tackle a stuffed pepper. See what I can come up with.

And so, without any more adieu, my dinner (Camera was out, and ran out of batteries, sorry again). It started with sunflower oil, sauteeing garlic, ginger and onion. I then added green pepper, red potato (grown in NS), celery and carrots, along with tofu. Spiced it up with some cayenne and black pepper, garnished with some lemon, added rice and voila. A meal. And it wasn't too bad. I was confused on how to cook tofu, but I think I've got it figured out. At least for now.

Well, that's it for today on the trials and triumphs of a new vegetarian. On an ending plus-note, a coworked brought in McDonald's today and the fry smell had no effect.

Cheers all

Day 1

2007-10-19T22:34:00.000-03:00

Howdy folks,

Well - day one is nearly complete, I'm tired and I want to go to bed. But first - A post.

The day started off well - hit the snooze about fifty times before getting up, showering and rushing to work. On the way, I made my first good choice, which was a 12-grain bagel at Tim Horton's and an orange juice. A good breakfast by any accounts I would think.

At work I did well - for lunch I had a garden salad, which was quite filling actually, over at the Superstore, and I did some recon for that evening's grocery shop. Checking things out, finding the right bread, and where some items were located that I might've otherwise not found.

Unfortunately - this afternoon, my body started speaking up. As if to say "What the hell are you doing man?!"I could tell my manager was getting annoyed because she saw me 'wandering' a few times. What it actually was, was me heading to and from the washroom several times.

And so now we get to the grocery shop. Just after eight, I got to the Superstore, and bought over $140 worth of groceries, and not a single piece of meat or dairy touched my cart. I am drinking almond milk, I have a couple cubes of tofu, a giant bag of rice. Molasses bread, which I'm kindof excited about. All sorts of oats and seeds and nuts and beans to keep my iron and protein up. Fruits and vegetables for all those wonderful vitamins. And I'm excited to begin cooking.

Tonight I was tired, so I just made myself some oatmeal. With brown sugar and maple syrup. I forgot the cinnamon. A mistake that will not happen again. I never liked oatmeal as a child, and I did a poor job of making this bowl, but I'll get better with practise. Again - while eating, my body was going "What the heck is this? It has no fat, no grease, artificial flavorings (the maple syrup I have is proper Nova Scotia maple syrup), I don't like this." But I was determined, and finished the bowl and am quite satisfied. For the smaller portions I've eaten, I've been filled up and haven't felt sluggish all day after my meals. Which is a bit of a change, let me tell you.

But in one day of this, I have realized what a meat-centric world we live in. Passing all the fast-food chains, the only ones you can optionally not get meat (realistically) are Subway and Tim Hortons. I passed an M&M Meats, and even on TV, commercials for the Outback Steakhouse, all taunting me. But I shall not give in!

I forgot my camera, otherwise I would've taken pictures of my grocery shop. I'll start remembering it when I get cooking.

Anyway, I have work early tomorrow morning, so I am off to bed. The first day was a success. And I'm ready for day 2.

Cheers all

Countdown

2007-10-18T14:29:00.001-03:00

Afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Well, its less than 24 hours until I become a vegetarian, so I figured a little prequel post was due to explain the why's and the how's of what I'm doing.

A couple of weeks ago, while I was checking all my daily websites, I was on vegetarian organic life (www.vegetarianorganiclife.com) and came across this challenge by Amira Elgan.

The challenge was, in honour of vegetarian awareness month (October), for non-vegetarians to become vegetarian for 21 days, and for vegetarians to become vegan for 21 days. Amira then cited the potential advantages that would come out of altering your diet and lifestyle in this way.

On top of just changing diet, Amira, a holistic health counsellor, advises on work-outs, and not only cutting out meat - but also what you should replace it with, and what products are better for you than others. She offers two free telephone sessions (as she lives in California) and all the email support we need to undergo this 21-day challenge.

Amira herself is an apparently amazing woman from what I've read and from our initial consultation. Well versed in the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles and sympathetic to what peoples pleasures are in the way of food. She takes on the slow philosophy on food that I enjoy so much. The idea of not just eating for sustenance, but cooking and creating meals and flavours and sensations that are not only healthy, but are an experience to create and enjoy with family and friends.

And she's offered up some good advice. Changing my bread from white to whole grain, and turning a focus onto breakfasts rather than dinners as the meal to spend the most time on. My big concern now is my grocery bill. I've done up a list, and there are nearly sixty items on it, and not a single piece of meat or dairy or eggs are on it. Despite that fact, it looks as if I'll be getting everything I need in order to maintain myself as healthy.

Plus, the money I'm losing by paying more in groceries for more high-end items and fresh produce, I'll be saving because I won't be able to eat out as often, and I've also decided to quit drinking for this challenge (except for on Halloween if I'm feeling up to a drink or two). Overall I'm hopefully looking at a net savings of money over my traditional eating habits.

Well, looks like it should be an adventure. I'll keep you posted. Next post will be the experiences of my 1st day and grocery shopping.

Cheers

Post # the first

2007-10-18T01:06:00.000-03:00

Well folks,

I just started this tonight at 1:06 AM Atlantic Time. This is the beginning of my recounting of adventures in my life. For the next three weeks it'll be the recounting of my Vegetarian Adventure that I'm going to embark on Friday, October 19th. For now I will describe Wings.

Because as I'm embarking on this adventure, (I'll explain the vegetarian adventure more in my post tomorrow) I am pursuing a series of 'lasts'. Tonight was my last beer, and my last wings at the Pub. Though I'll still frequent the Pub on Wednesday's with my favorite friends, I will not be partaking in the wings or the beer unfortunately. The not partaking in beer is a personal choice of mine to add to the going vegetarian. Again, I'll explain in greater detail tomorrow.

Also on the lists of lasts is pop. I've decided to cut out pop as well, as I'm a veritable addict to coke and pepsi. And I believe I should radically cut down and cut it out of my diet, so as to make myself healthier.

Well, this post is probably rather short and boring as I'm concluding it now. Its 90% just so I can have a first post as I set up my new blogspace as this is the first blog I've ever set up and its being set up for 'The Vegetarian Adventure'.

Cheers all,

Adam