Ending Violence Against Women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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?

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

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

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

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

Hey Folks,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that is why I'm a vegetarian.

Cheers all

Water

Well the Water is back.

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers all

Water?

Hey Folks,

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

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

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

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

Cheers all

Nature Films?

Hey Folks,

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

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

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

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

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

Well that's it for this post. Cheers all

Au Naturelle

Hey Folks,

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And for those naysayers out there, who might surmise that I purposefully sabotaged my trip for an extra day, let me say this: My travel record up to this point is flawless. I never missed a flight, bus or train without some sort of situation stopping me like a burst pipe in an airplane (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

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.