I do so love quizzes

I'm Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme!

Which Simon and Garfunkel album are you?

"A darker grey is breaking through a lighter one"

Alright... I wasn't as snappy about posting again as I would have liked, but it's getting done :P

The only really interesting thing currently going on is the shows I've been attending recently. I don't have any lined up until after Christmas, but hey, I can always look fondly back at the ones I've been to...

Art Garfunkel at the Jubilee:
Before I was introduced to the independent Canadian artists I adore now, I always regretted that I'd never be able to see my favorite artists (The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, etc.) live in concert. But Art Garfunkel proved me wrong there. Although the show wasn't as amazing as it would have been if Paul Simon had joined him (I missed the gorgeous harmonies), Garfunkel sang quite a few of the old S&G tunes, and of course the crowd loved him for it... I mean, his voice is too astounding!

The Weakerthans at Myer Horowitz:
This was a party and a half. Although The Last Town Chorus almost deafened me (lap steel guitar= good instrument, just don't turn it up so much that all you hear is constant screeching), the show in all rocked. The band kicked it off with a few of their more upbeat tunes, new and old, but in the second half they toned it down with a lot of slower songs, including quite a bit of Left & Leaving, the album which is basically the anthem of my sisters and always brings back nice memories of hanging out at their place during their university days. Think the whole audience singing along to 'My Favorite Chords' and 'One Great City!'
Afterwards I got a ride home with my sister's hilarious friends, and learned some important life lessons ("And Becky remember, marriage is only good for immigration purposes or fraud!")

Justin Rutledge and The Great Lake Swimmers at McDougall Church:
Ok, I must admit, I only went to this show to see Justin Rutledge, who was opening. But I discovered The Great Lake Swimmers, so it's alright.
I first found out about Rutledge at Edmonton Folk Fest, and fell in love with his alt country right away. I didn't find he sang as well at this show, but touring can do that do voices (especially when the artist dubs it "the magical misery tour"). But nevertheless he is amazing, and it was fun to be able to meet him again...
Plus I was introduced to The Great Lake Swimmers music, which is a pleasure.

Justin Rutledge

Geoff Berner and Kris Demeanor at McDougall Church:
Ok, it's Geoff Berner. Need I say more? I've seen him perform a couple times before this, and he was, as always, hilarious. This time I brought along father, who I swear was going to die laughing...
But what I loved best was Kris Demeanor. I haven't laughed that hard... well... ever I think, his impression of his dad in 'I Have Seen The Future' was outstanding... I got the chance to talk to him during intermission, he's incredibly friendly! My hero.

Geoff Berner and Kris Demeanor

Serena Ryder and Wil at Megatunes:
The Megatunes on Whyte (formally Greenwoods books) has a great space in the basment. The artist is set up on the floor, and everyone gets to sit on the cushy carpeted floor to watch. I really enjoy the connection it provides. Anyway, Serena Ryder was giving a quick free show there before her bigger show (which I unfortunately couldn't make). But I got to see her perform a few songs, and Wil also. I didn't know too much about the latter beforehand, but his voice is awesome and the fact that his website is ibreakstrings.com just makes me that much happier :)

Serena Ryder

Life is crazy right now. So much is happening all at once... new school, new people, new hobbies, etc, while it still seems that things are moving unusually slow. But in all the healthy confusion I just haven't had the time to write here. I could say that I haven't had anything to write about, as I've gone to some amazing shows (Art Garfunkel, The Weakerthans, Justin Rutledge with The Great Lake Swimmers). I guess I'm just tired out from trying to balance school and more personal things like writing and music. But from here on out I'll make it a goal to post more often than I have been in the past month or so, even if not as frequently as in the past couple years. I love writing here, and I plan to continue to do so...
So, you know, I'm alive, etc... check back soon :)

Saw the new documentary today at the local theatre... I love the feel of that place, it's actually just a stage with all the original art deco decor features intact, lovely.

Anyway, the film itself was wonderful. It wove narratives of top scientists with amazing footage to create a piece with huge impact.

Some have said they didn't like the role Leonardo DiCaprio played in making of the doc. Personally I believe it's a good thing that he's doing something with his celebrity, especially if it can reach those who don't watch the news but instead e-talk daily (which is most certainly not me)... and if you're still worried, he doesn't make too many appearances in the film.

Others have said they're sick of being told that the world is doomed, but to them I say:

A) That's what it take to make some people take action, and

B) This film offers hope, it's not just a we're-all-going-to-die-roll-the-credits sort of experience.

There were copious amounts of vital facts, but they were presented in a manageable way... to me a couple really stood out:

-Trees can hold up to 57,000 gallons of water each. So by cutting down a single tree, you could be making a serious impact of the flooding of the nearby environment.

-Americans spend more on lawn maintenance every year than the Indian government takes in taxes.

-The U.S. spends more money on their military than the economy of Australia is worth.

-For every one truckload of product, there are 32 truckloads of waste.

-To replace nature, it would take threes times what the world wide economy is worth every year.

These are just a few of the facts that people like David Suzuki, Stephen Hawking and Mikhail Gorbachev presented.

And it may sound like I'm completely promoting this movie... I am. It's something I truly believe in... the sentiment of the entire film "what a great time to be born, what a great time to be alive, because this generation gets to completely change this world" is something I try and remember... sometimes I get frustrated as I feel it's hard to really make a difference as a youth. Yes, I can turn off the lights when I'm not in the room, and I can do smaller things around the home, but what I'd forgotten and was reminded of today is that I may not be able to vote for political leaders, but I can vote every time I put money on the counter. It's showing I approve of what that product stands for. And while I may have already boycotted MacDonald's and Nike a long time ago, there is still so much more I can do without.

Hopefully others will remember that too, along with the larger call to arms message. I sincerely believe it's essential we listen.

11th Hour Action

You can take the Canadian out of winter...

But you can't take the winter out of a Canadian :P

A bunch of kids decided to go sledding at the Edmonton Folk Fest... In B.C. till the end of the month, and I thought I'd leave you with that. Enjoy :)

"We'll just cross his name out..."

Really boring modern music,

really boring modern girl

get me out of here,

I’m drowning, I don’t like this modern world

anti-intellect and marketing,

pretty, pretty, who needs talent?

Buck 65 sang that yesterday, although there was a lot of intellect and not much marketing on the last day of the Folk Fest...

All the shows I went to were fantastic, but a couple really stood out.

The first was 'Rites of Passage' with T. Nile, Justin Rutledge and Rob Heath. I feel in love with Rutledge's voice on Saturday, and so this workshop was a must. All the songs played were gorgeous, but his really stood out.

As a closer he sang Four Strong Winds (not aware it's the EFMF's theme). T. Nile didn't know the song, so she had to read the lyrics out of an audience member's program book. The rendition was awesome, better than, in my opinion, when played later on mainstage. After the workshop I got Rutledge to autograph the page of lyrics in my program, and we had a laugh when he scribbled out the credit for Ian Tyson and wrote his own name. Yes, I am a fan.

Then later I caught the 'If I Had a Rocket Launcher' (a nice Bruce Cockburn reference, who was at last years' fest). There played Buffy Sainte-Marie, Connie Kaldor and Mary Gauthier (and one other man who was filling in, but I unfortunately didn't catch the name of). This theme of the workshop was "things that piss you off", which meant we heard many of the artists' best. Especially Buffy, who played Universal Soldier and Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee. That was certainly quite the party!

And last but not least was Buck 65's concert. That man is hilarious, not to mention a genius! He had us laughing the entire time, and amazed us with some of his songs from his new album coming out in October... my favorite had to be Spread 'Em, a spoof on the old cop movies. His chorus of "Spread 'Em. Up against the wall, punk. Spread 'Em" was accompanied by a face that would have made Jack Webb proud. But the best part was easily when he unexpectedly added: "You're under arrest... sexy arrest."
That had the crowd laughing for awhile.

After his show I somehow found my way to the front by the stage and got his autograph on my copy of 'Secret House Against the World', which he signed "Buck 65... Amis Toujours." That made me smile, although I'm sure he's signed hundreds of other CDs like that. But hey, connecting with your fans is important, and his message certainly achieves that goal.

On mainstage was the LA hip hop band Ozomatli, who just took control of the crowd. I have never seen the EFMF crowd so energetic and involved! Everyone was dancing, EVERYONE. Then the lead singer hopped into the dance pit and the place exploded. Even after his band was off the stage the crowd was clapping and broke out into a couple soccer chants.

Michael Franti and Spearhead also got the place to it's feet, and also got them smiling. He told about when he went to San Quentin Prison, and how there was only one song that got all the inmates to sing together. He asked us if we wanted to hear it, and of course the crowd yelled yes.

That's when he played the Sesame Street theme.
And then Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
And then C is for Cookie.
That man is way too cool...
Not to mention he ended their show by doing an onstage headstand.

Finally Buffy Sainte-Marie came on, and I sat perched on the steepest part of the hill with my sister Kim and her friend Danielle (both big fans). Despite technical problems, she closed with a beautiful set with a lot of her classics. It was a great end.

But, of course, there was a one tradition left. If you read my (rather lacking) folk fest coverage last year, you will know that I was traumatized when a group of older women pulled me into their group for a teary-eyed rendition of Four Strong Winds... well, this year I embraced it, and stood up along with the hard core folkies. Although dared, I didn't go put my arm around the random guy in front of us, but I did laugh along with my sister and friend (who were beyond cringing) and took a couple photos of the event.

And this year I actually knew the lyrics :)

The folk fest where there are hills

Oh, it is correct, Edmonton Folk Festival is up and running for 2007! So far we've had beautiful weather, with the exception of a touch of rain on Friday morning (which only ended up being a small nuisance for us volunteers working the morning shift, it turned out fine)

---

You know, being on the Enviropower crew means that we get to go backstage... just not when the performers are there... But even with this minor setback, I mustered up all the CNN in me and took this AC360 style photo of the green room of back stage. They go all out for the artists here in Edmonton. I mean, we give them a brown corduroy chair that looks like it's from the Watergate days. All out.

---

I've been hanging out mostly with my good friend Maren... Maren (and family) has been very generous, letting me mooch off her tarp and giving me a ride home at 1 in the morning... she's a great friend, and with some of the sad news lately it's been a real comfort to be able to pass the time with her.

Yesterday in the volunteer food tent she blew my mind (and made me laugh). We were leaving the tent when a woman who looked quite familiar to me started chatting away to her. Finally I placed her, and mentioned it to Maren when she was done talking to her.

Me: "That woman looks just like Connie Kaldor..."

Maren: "She is."

Me: "What!?"

Maren: "She's my god mother, you know, the one we always go to visit in Montreal."

Me: "What?!"

Once I got over the shock that Maren's god mother had made Mr. Lonely and Sarah Slean do the can-can in Calgary, I got the chance to quickly chat with her. I also got to spend some time talking with her sons Gabriel and Aleksi, both of whom are enthusiastic and great tarp company.

I feel kind of ridiculous, being so excited, as I know all artists have lives outside of onstage performances, have families, and family friends... but it still kind of came as a surprise, especially after that amazing workshop with her in Calgary.

Anyway, today at her concert she had her kids on to sing a couple of songs. She played the Sound of Music card... and apologized for the absence of lederhosen.

---

But since this is my "night off" (as I got four hours of sleep last night), I think I'd better go read... or tend to my unfortunate sunburn (due to bang half of my forehead is red, with the other half being that regular pasty white :P)

I'm excited for tomorrow, which involves getting there at 8 am and leaving at 11:30 pm. A long day, but it should be an entertaining one!

Flashback

Edmonton Folk Fest 2006: I discovered two new artists I adored

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Calgary Folk Fest 2007: Adored artists revisited

Well for the past four days I've been hiding away at the Calgary Folk Fest. It was amazing! I saw some of my favorite artists like Hawksley Workman and Geoff Berner (meeting the former, which was definitely one of the highlights). I also rediscovered some acts I'd forgotten the talent of like Chumba Wumba, and was exposed to those I wasn't really aware of, a perfect examples being Brett Dennen or T.O.F.U.. For four days Prince's Island Park was my home, as I spent most of my time there, and the environment was suited perfectly for contemplation and just relaxing to some beautiful music.

And then it came time to return to my regular home 3 hours north, where I write this now. I'm happy to see my family again, as I miss the fun we have when I'm away (we put the "fun" in dysfunctional :P)... but I just remember last year at the Edmonton folk fest I thought those women sitting nearby were crazy for being so upset when it was all over. Now I understand them a lot better, I was one of them.

"[In Edmonton] everybody's almost oppressed, so you rally together."

That's Chris Connelly of Deadmonton's own Hot Panda, commenting on the city's certain je ne sais quoi. Believe me, his attitude is not unlike most of those I know, including myself.
Whether one's a worker here due to the boom, who only stays because of the wages, or a long time Edmontonian, who's aggravated by the new traffic, suburbs and ridiculous housing prices, this isn't exactly the place most people choose to stay too long.
Not to say that it doesn't have any redeeming qualities. It does have a great, be it small, underground community, not to mention an astounding river valley. But outside of our sliver of the city, it's pretty bleak.
And that's what Connelly's talking about. We all band together and make the location a bit more bearable. Whether it be the Folk Fest, the Fringe, or tuning in to CJSR every once in a while, there's something that makes one feel that there's a little less oil-worker-Klein-junkie in the town.
Besides, lefty Albertans always have a fun time bonding with their jokes on the subject.
What can I say? I'm a Klein kid.

Something seems wrong here...

I was at the City airport dropping off my sister Wednesday, when I saw this. Something struck me as strange about it.
Maybe it's the raw stereotypes... not only of the usual victims such as India, England, etc., but the fact that the first thing people see when they come to this city is a billboard telling them we're all white, beer-guzzling, not-too-bright men.
Huh.

Grads, do not go where the path may lead...

Who would have thought that sitting on a small makeshift stage in a hot gym with a lot of rowdy kids and their parents would be fun? Not me, but it certainly turned out that way. That was my grade 9 grad. Being the "Mistress of Ceremony" (I mean, that title in itself is just awesome :P) was surprisingly entertaining.

I'm relieved to say that the event turned out well, and with Sameena Sherman playing guitar (watch her become an incredible indie star... I'll have called it), and Maren and Alex with their valedictorian speech, you could say it went perfectly.

After the formal ceremony we all headed out and took photos and chatted with family. That was certainly chaotic, but I had a good time taking photos with Ms. Short and all those 7C kids. Everyone trickled in to the small gym for the dance, where I mostly just took photos of friends (I'm not really in to the junior high dance styles).

Towards the end there were all those awkward hugs (people I didn't really know giving me quite dramatic embraces) and the tears of friends and acquaintances. I'm not one to cry at these sorts of events, and that didn't really change last night. Although, I did feel dispirited when I saw the sweetest (and easily our school's most serious) couple dancing to the last song played. They're going to different high schools, and it hit me as to how big a deal this will be. I realize I'll soon grow accustomed to my new school, but of course I'll still miss my good friends whom I will no longer see on a daily basis. Sheilagh is off to her local high school, and of course Lyle has another year at Mck. But I still have two months to spend with them before the next school year.

Around 11 pm Maren, Sheilagh, Vi and I walked down to Whyte ave for the afterparty, meeting Gill at the restaurant... there was a lot of pizza and warm chocolate brownies involved... That was some hardcore unhealthy food. But it kept us full and awake until 3 am, so I suppose it's all okay.

Finally, at one in the morning, Maren's dad gave us a ride to Gill's house where we had an classic sleepover. Lots of random jokes and funny stories were shared... in a lot of ways it was the "perfect" end to junior high, just laughing with some of my oldest friends. It's like something out of one of those horrible all American teen novels... oh dear.

But enough of being sappy and scared that my life will spiral in to the depths of a Judy Blume book, I need sleep!

Laugh, dammit!

Ah, exams. Wonderful, aren't they? The perfect balance of sheer stress and utter boredom as summer settles in.

But in amongst all the exams and tutorials and studying one cannot forget what truly matters in life. We cannot forget to keep on watching Indecision 2008... or as it is more lovingly known, Clusterf*#K to the White House.

So please, do us all (and yourself) a favour and go and watch some of The Daily Show. You'll be a better person afterward.

And how can you not love that face?

Utter and excessive sappiness that I'm surprised I feel

Well, tomorrow's the last actually full day of school at Mck. I'm so glad to be getting out of there, especially as it's losing a lot (not all, but most) of the good teachers. You know, the great teachers that connect with their students and inspire them. Ones like Mr. Carter (who left last year), Ms. Andrews, Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Sorenson. Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Short will still be there... the new kids coming into grade seven next year will be the luckiest kids in the world if they get Shorty. Ah, 7C... that was a fun class. 8B, too. And 9B.

I always feel trapped in my school, but those teachers made it bearable when it was at it's worst. They taught the type of class that you would look forward to, the type that always left their door open after school.

Gill, Sheilagh, remember Carter's room? I know you do. The time we hung Shelly out that window with the help of Mr. C? The metre stick he was given for his 12th birthday? Or his 'Office Space' stapler?

Or French with Mr. Mitchell? All those stupid hand signs that everyone still remembers... And his ballpoint pen wars with Matty. And those ridiculous plays that were so much fun. And how you could talk to him about anything, he had respect for all his students.

And of course: "A tisket, a tasket, the lost and found basket." Crissy's room was a blast. Peer Support retreat with them always made me laugh.

I talk about those teachers like they died. They didn't, of course, they're just moving on with their lives. Starting families, getting new jobs to provide better for the ones they already have. I don't think they realized how much of an impact they've had on me, and they'll continue on to affect kids like me. I hope those kids realize how lucky they are.

I really disliked that school, but I prefer to remember all those insane moments with all those hilarious teachers instead.

I love civil disobedience

I got an old copy of Adbusters from the library the other day... I grew up with them lying around the house, but I'd never really picked one up and read it thoroughly. So that's what I did. My favorite part?
A sticker some on posted on a pump in a San Francisco gas station that read:

Stop your engine.

No smoking.

Return nozzle to pump when finished fueling.

Pre-pay after dark.

Thank you for financing global terror.

Classic.

My love of hate for my school grows

This is a picture of boredom at a Thursday's "pep rally". It was hardly what one would expect from its name. It was, in fact, the anti-pep rally. Everyone just sat, bored out of their minds, while the jocks went up and "talked" about how they won some championship no one really cares about. I say "talked" because it consisted of:

"We powned."

"Yeah!"

"We won."

"Yeah!"

Glorious.

The year end dance was 80s theme, which one would think would be fun. Apart from getting to wear my 'Astros' sweatshirt, It wasn't. I should have seen it coming when the DJ said "we'll play some 80s and then move into some popcorny stuff." The 80s consisted of Thriller, the rest was Avril Lavigne crap. I could only stand about 2 minutes before I actually thought I was going to throw up. I felt physically nauseous. Luckily Lyle felt the same, so we snuck out of the dance. He and his friends had already gone once, the second time I tagged along. So I spent my last dance at that school outside playing catch and witnessing the accidental denting of the DJ's van. Best dance ever.

Yesterday was a much better day than Thursday (day of the pep rally, dance, etc). Although it was plus 30-something, I had a great time afterschool hanging out on the hill. We held off going home as long as we could, but finally we had no choice.

I got home for supper and then headed off for the airport to pick up Tracey (my sister who lives in Alaska)! We were happy to see her, and all went smoothly until we missed a certain turn-off on the way back. We ended up in Twin Brooks (Vi's suburb), and were late. But it didn't really matter because:

a) It just goes into our ever-expanding file of lost-while-driving/"interesting"-experiences-to-do-with-the-airport file, and

b) I got this shot while driving on Anthony Henday

Because I'm dirty and wonderful

Wow. All but two junior high kids I know cannot hold an intelligent conversation about anything bigger than our school. I mean, why not answer a serious philosophical question with "that's cool"?* Yes, I know I'm a horrible person, but I'm not the only one. (Oh, and this justification agrees with all my values*)
*I'm just going to assume that you all note how both of those lines were dripping with sarcasm

In other news, my book talk on '1984' went well. I wrote it last night, but I was passionate about the topic, so I could get deep into the theories put forward. Orwell's writing style is fantastic, so opening and closing with his quotes made my talk that much stronger... especially the haunting line "if you want a picture for the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face- forever."
On the topic of good books, Barb B has inspired me to put my summer reading list in my sidebar... I'm interested in seeing how well I can follow it.


This is possibly the best money I've ever spent... got this tote bag in the mail today. Makes me laugh: "Hawksley Workman's Dirty and Wonderful Books".
That's the great thing about Workman's music. It can be dead serious, but at the same time he has a great sense of humour. I'm excited to test drive the bag at school tomorrow. I'm also equally excited for all the scared looks from the kids who have no idea who Workman is... I might be known as "the girl who shops in dirty Amsterdam book stores" from now on. Oh well, I couldn't care less, as this bag makes me very happy.

I'm going to go off and share that happiness with the world now.

...

P.S. Welcome back Jay, Chris et Gabi! We are happy to have you (and your karate trophies) back :)

Scrabble

I discovered yesterday, whilst playing Scrabble with my sister and a few of her friends, just how creative the game can get. We were playing the version where the words don't actually have to be real words, just close to some. I realized that if you ever needed a good name for a band, you could just play this version of Scrabble... who wouldn't love a band called The Math Gurus, The Depofares or Le Japorn (Tamboars)? My sister has a "plan" to start up a bird watching club called The Beak Swoons, and we thought we should start a speech with the brave phrase IGreatBat...
Although I did love it when people added on to a word to the point where it almost became a sentence in itself, like TameFirstCall.
I also enjoyed how we completely ignored which way the letters are supposed to face.
Don't you just love board games?

Let us wake up and talk a while. I tell you I'm scared, I tell you I'd fight for us both ... And what would we do in our last moments in time?

-The Future Language of Slaves, Hawksley Workman

...

That song seems to sum up some of my feelings this week.

Firstly, I finished Nineteen Eighty-Four. Just like when I read The Handmaid's Tale, the book affected me deeply. It truly makes you think and be thankful for what we have. Towards the end I had to put it down for a while... I can't bear to read of human suffering in the hands of others that way. Everything Winston goes through makes me want to scream... and to think people live in states like that, I can't stand it.

And then today I was shocked at school. I noticed police cruisers outside our school and officers walking around as I went in. I thought it was odd, but I didn't realized what had happened until Maren informed me around Noon.
Ed, a kid who often hangs out with friends of friends, and whom I talk to on a fairly regular basis, had been threatening to kill several classmates. At first we thought that was it, but the police soon discovered a knife in his locker and a list of people to kill (and how it was to be done). I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of my good friends and I were on there, as we had a rocky relationship with him.
The school as a whole was surprisingly calm (especially considering the size of the school), but it still left us a bit shaken. What frustrates me is that no one from admin talked to us about, they left it to classmates to inform others.
However serious he actually was, it leaves you with Workman's lyrics rolling in your mind.

And other thoughts on this Friday the 11th

So now that Lyle's taught me how to tie a tie, I'm now tempted to wear them all the time. Not Avril Lavigne style (*shudder*), but more of the retro ties with band t-shirt look... very tempted. We had to learn how to tie them for band, as our band teacher bought the entire junior high band "smashing" ties (her words, not mine). As I like to say, 100% polyester, 100% fun :P

But on to less creepy subjects... the weather in Edmonton is gorgeous. This fine weather meant it was our school's track and field day. Basically we were locked out of the school until we did three different events (I did 100 metre dash, 200 metre run and shotput). I didn't mind too much this year, as I just ended up hanging out with my friends, playing soccer and the like. When all that was over we just headed to the hill, which is also what we did yesterday. We spend a good two and a half hours there a day, having a blast. It's nice to spend time with others who are willing to talk about anything that comes to mind. After all that sun I'm completely worn out... with the starts of a nice tan (I usually wouldn't care, but I couldn't stand having to look at those chalk white legs of mine anymore... I could bring down aircraft with them they were so blindingly white).

And one other note... just talked to Tracey (one of my three lovely older sisters). We had an interesting (and very funny) converstaion about the pressure to be different in our family. Anyway, she's coming home from Alaska for a couple of weeks at the end of May. I'm very excited, as I haven't seen her in quite a while... For some reason thinking of both Tracey and summer reminds me of FIFA world cup, The Arcade Fire and lavender sunblock. Guess it just goes to show that last summer was an awesome one!

The hill

So the Grade Eights are on Jasper trip, and I feel rather down about it. Now, I don't mind the absence of those insanely loud girls across from my locker, nor do I miss the bottleneck that is our school's hallways in between classes, but I do miss afternoons on the hill. Perhaps another day? We'll have to see... but for now we'll have to settle for gazing longingly at the photo I took yesterday.
It's so beautiful here, the tempurature's in the high teens, and sitting around laughing with your friends is the perfect activity. It allows you to get into conversations that are more meaningful than the ones crammed into 5 minute breaks at school. Ultimately, it gives you a chance to get to know your friends better than you already do, and that's something I find is very important.
I'll just have to wait until everyone is free again.

It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out

Another week's gone by and quite a bit has changed while still remaining the same. The weather has gone from warm and sunny to miserably wet and back again. People are my friends on and off. And I'm once again completely fed up with the lack of caring in my peers...

But on the bright side, Jay, Chris and Gabi are home! They had a great time in Florida visiting Chris' relatives, and I'm very jealous. And they even taught Gabi to say 'Annyang'- so awesome... By the way, check out Jay's new blog! (I officially apologize for the possible overuse of exclamation points in that paragraph.)

I've also been making a point of catching more of The Daily Show, which has certainly been making the dreary days more bearable. "We need a timetable just to withdraw from that metaphor!" Laughed so hard... and the guy who plays PC talking about famous economists in futuristic jumpsuits? Precious.

And yesterday the latest edition of Shameless arrived at my doorstep. I believe I posted about the zine last summer, but for those of you who didn't read it... Shameless is a great indie zine out of Toronto, 'for girls who get it'. It covers everything from music to social issues, DIY to book reviews. It's certainly a nice break from the Teen Prom mags floating around school. (I believe Barb B made this point last year, and I completely agree. You're supposed to graduate from grade 9... why such a huge fuss?)

Grad may be a waste of time, but I was ecstatic yesterday to learn that I was accepted to to the high school I wasn't sure I'd be able to get into. My district school is all about sports and stereotypical school spirit, neither of which I'm that in to. But I got my place in the more serious academic school, which is a relief.

Anyway, today I spent some time down on Whyte, and spotted this kid... he's my new hero. Bagpipes and busking don't usually seem like they'd work together, but he can pull it off... especially in those sneakers and skinny jeans!

That said I'll leave you with that wonderful image.

I've got nothing to say but it's okay (good morning)

Unfortunately I don't have anything of particular substance to write about, but I suppose I can just document a bit of my life in this post.
Wow, yesterday was insane... five of our six classes were incomplete due to assemblies, fire alarms being set off and locker checks. Good times :)
The weather here's absolutely gorgeous. It was bright and warm with a breeze all yesterday morning and afternoon. After school I hung out at the park with a couple of friends and chatted, which I always love. Just when we parted it started to rain while still remaining sunny. Beautiful! (Also beautiful was the guy working as a child supervisor at the park :P)
Today was almost 20, and the car is starting to get that open-all-the-windows-as-soon-as-you-get-in feeling due to the heat. Ahh, summer!
Somehow upbeat Beatles songs lend themselves to the overall cheerfulness. Recently I've had Lovely Rita stuck in my head, but it's such an awesome song I don't mind... although I think my friends are sick of me randomly "Lovely Rita, meter maid" over and over.
Last night on Bill Moyer's Journal, Jon Stewart was interviewed. It was a great interview and well worth watching! You can check it out here.
Anyway, that's just a quick post, I'll have to write more soon!

Happy Earth Day!

I posted about Earth Day on Albertan Youth For Change. That blog hasn't gotten much (well, any really :P) traffic, mostly due to the fact that I haven't really made an effort to get it out there yet. That and since I'm no longer part of the Stroumbi, not as many people check out my profile out of sheer curiosity. I'm a bit nervous, but I'll do it, as it's very important to me :)
After I left you on Friday the day did get better. In social the student teacher, "Mr.F" (teehee Arrested Development joke) actually lets us talk politics, something the regular teacher actually avoids. I had a good time talking about the government and consumerism with a couple of classmates.
Better be going... celebrations of the Earth await me!

=bec:ky

I write this in computers... our group finished pumping formulae into spreadsheets, so we have free time.

The past weeks has been very hectic, to quote Paul Simon "my mind's distracted and diffused, my thoughts are many miles away". Everything that's happened around the world has been on my mind, and I've been pushing my friends away. Frankly, I'm sick of all the superficial in junior high, and the lack of caring for other human beings. Everyone seems fake to me, and I just want to get away from it. I hope next year will be better, but I doubt it will be too different.

Well, there's the bell, I'd better go, we have a provincial French test... I'll write more soon.

Kicking it old school

I've been back for a few days now, and I'm getting back into the rhythm of things. I'm used to the kids and all the grumpy teachers. I don't know why they're grumpy, as we just had fourteen days of break, with another five (well, four for them, as they have to work on our PD day) ahead of us. We had three days of schooling this week! Nevertheless, they were especially angry-at-the-world today.

Not to mention I've fallen back into a pit of shallowness again (teehee, oxymoron). I was over him on spring break, I really was. Then I pass him once on the street and I just about faint. Good for me, I know. I'm quite disappointed with myself.

And because I actually hate being shallow, I've started a blog dedicated to Albertan youth making a difference. I'm a bit unclear of the direction at this point, but I hope to work on it and see where it goes. Because I'm original and great at making names for things, it's brilliantly called Albertan Youth For Change . If you want, check it out!

Back on (flat) ground

Back in the prairies, which I'd have to say I missed... but I do love to travel, and I had a great time!
We went to Montreal and Toronto, both of which I enjoyed. I preferred Montreal this year, whereas last year I preferred TO (I think because the CBC building was new to me and I still really enjoyed The Hour).

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It was my fourth visit to Montreal... We stayed in the area between Downtown and Old Montreal, right by Chinatown. Perfect location, as you can walk to all the places we wanted to go from there.
One awesome moment took place when we were walking down Rue St Paul in Old Montreal taking photos of the beautiful architecture. I was ahead, and guess who comes around the corner. Andre Boisclair (leader of the PQ party)! I don't agree with some his politics, but I recognized him right and away and kind of froze. I didn't even get a photo... c'est dommage. But I saw him later on TV wearing the same tie... (alert the media :P)

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We went to Toronto by train... there was quite a contrast. We spent Sunday in Montreal, meaning there were people talking to neighbours on steps, sitting besides their bikes on the sidewalk reading, or hanging out with friends on balconies. We arrive in Toronto on Monday, right around the end of the work day. This means the mass migration of people dressed all in black to the GoTrain station. No laughing, no socializing at all, just walking as quickly as you black pumps could take you. (As you could imagine, I preferred Montreal at that moment.)

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A highlight was going out to Wards Island, which was like a vacation while on vacation. It was a nice break from the busy city... It was a lot like being on Vancouver Island, very relaxing. There were swans, angry geese, lots of friendly people. And I saw my first wild snake. I know, you think I'm a complete city girl, but I've never seen one at the family farm, and the far north and the mountains don't really lend themselves to slithering (lots of needles). But the island was quite beautiful, and provided an awesome view of downtown TO.

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And then yesterday we took the plane home to our beloved Edmonton. I'm glad to be back with my entire family again! Yesterday I just enjoyed just relaxing and getting back into the rhythm of daily life... today I have to deal with homework... fun fun!

A lot to say...

On Tuesday I'll have been blogging for a year. I most likely won't be able to get on the net to blog then, so I'll say it now.
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for making my blogging experience thusfar a blast! There have certainly been ups and downs, but I'm so glad I've met such an awesome group of people that I have here on blogger... it's been a good year! I'll continue to blog and hopefully continue to build my blogging skills (my first posts were awfully sad). I've grown quite a bit as a person, and all of you have helped me do that and I really wanted to say thanks!

Took this picture earlier while in line at Tim Hortons. I'm going to be seeing a lot more of Tims in the next few weeks... and Subway, too... know what that means? No, I'm not doing the Canadian verson of Supersize Me...
That's right, it's time for the third annual trip down east! I leave on Monday. Very excited! This weekend is going to be a lot of packing, iPod uploading, etc.


And because I wanted some "new" music for the trip. I've gotten out The Beatles' Love out from the EPL. I had mixed feelings about the remixing of their music, but listening to it now, I realize the project was in good hands (those of the genius George Martin and his son Giles). When I got home my dad and I (whom I inherited my love for The Beatles from) sat down and listening to the CD figuring out what had been changed and whether we liked it. It gets the Becky and father four thumbs up :P

That's it for now... I'll see post again when I get back. I'll miss reading your guys' blogs, but I'll look forward to catching up when I get back. I hope everyone has a good couple of weeks!

Why do all the good shows end so soon?

Although this show ended a while ago, the loss of such a good show saddens me.
If you haven't already figured out, I finally saw the series finale of Arrested Development today... As usual, hilarious!
I first got hooked on the show last year when my sister lent me some of the first season. She and her boyfriend are big Arrested Development fans, and own all three seasons. Anyway, I didn't get the chance to watch the entire set due to busy holiday schedules, etc.
CBC then started showing it and I started watching again... they aired the final episode today, and I loved it! (But not the ending part... maybe it's a good thing it didn't drag on too much.) I've still only seen about 2/3 of the shows, so I have some catching up to do... maybe I can steal them from my sister dearest :P

Musical ramblings...

Ugh. We had immunization first thing today at school. This resulted in my being totally out for the entire day. I made a fool of myself only, oh let's see... 6 times was it? Maybe not six, but I totally looked like a fool on several occasions. I'm usually pretty klutzy in the head, but I was extra bad today...
But I shall take comfort in my Simon & Garfunkel. I got out the entire collection of recordings, from '62 to '70, from the library. Those 8 years to me produced some of the best music of the 20th century. The Beatles are another example. Just after the early rock and roll, and just before disco... awesome!

Anyway, so I'm just hanging out pondering Paul Simon's decision to take 'Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.' and rework it to become the more upbeat 'Somewhere They Can't Find Me'. Both of them begin with the same eight lines:

I can hear the soft breathing

Of the girl that I love,

As she lies here beside me

Asleep with the night,

And her hair, in a fine mist

Floats on my pillow,

Reflecting the glow

Of the winter moonlight.

Paul Simon is quite a genius... a couple of weeks ago CBC showed the tribute for him at last years Montreal Jazz Festival. I wish I had been there... all I remember of the time I went to Jazz Fest was the mainstage being really bright and walking back to the hostel really late with my mom. I was very small, as you can imagine.

Anyway... I'd better go read. I still don't have Citizen of the World finished. I just haven't really had the time. But I have to get it done for our trip, it's too large to carry around... also I have a long line of paperback Agatha Christie novels to read in my free time down east!

Remember Ryan Smyth...

It's quite sad. All I've ever known for the Oilers is Ryan Smyth, he's played for them since I was two. He's my Smyth homeboy!
After hearing the news last night I made a button in his honour (please don't mind the poor picture quality)...
And I must admit, when he said that he wanted to win the Stanley cup and bring back to Edmonton, because "that's where his heart is", I got a bit teary eyed.
Funny how I get so worked up over hockey... but it really is a big part of our city. We don't have the greatest team, we'll admit it, but it's still a large part of the city's identity. We've had Gretzky and Messier, and now Smyth, get traded at their prime. All of them have expressed how much they love our city (not to mention Claire Martin :P). It just makes you thankful in a way that you can stay in your much-loved home. I might leave someday, but until then I'll just be happy that I can keep on living here, even if all the good hockey players can't.

A new generation of politics

I hate to be political on this blog, but I find the prospect of Justin Trudeau in politics quite exciting. I've been a fan for a while now, I really love the work he does with giving youth a voice (only 3 more years until I can be a part of Katimavik!). He also does a lot of great work involving the environment and Darfur.
If he does win the Papineau riding (the smallest and poorest riding in Canada) I look forward to his fresh look at politics. We have a lot of aged men representing Canada, hopefully Trudeau could breathe new life into Parliament Hill. Now if we could only get more women who wouldn't end up being called dogs and becoming centerfolds in 'Scoop Weekly'.

Rebel, rebel

Friday at lunch I skipped (with permission, sadly) Art to see Rae Spoon at the SUB stage on the U of A campus. It was a free show, and seeing as my sisters and I love his music, a must.

It was a lot of fun! He has a beautiful voice and was very sweet. I think my sister and I's favorite part was when he sang 'Oil Rigs', our fave song of his. All in all good times!



Not much else happening in other news... tis very snowy here, but at the same time warm and beautiful. At times it seems too warm, which is disconcerning. I suppose we'll all do our part in minimizing our footprint and hope/push the government to do the same.

My Heroes

Now I'll have to make a "Beware Of The Milky Pirate" button :P

The beauty of the internet

It was one year ago today that I went down to Calgary and met George while he was on the road with The Hour. It doesn't feel like that long at all! It feels like it was last month... anyway, we all know how I feel about the show now, although tonight they had a really good interview with Chris Hedges, about the Christian right's similarities to 20th Century fascism. He's very articulate and it's definitely worth watching here!

I haven't been able to watch as much Colbert and Stewart as I would like lately, due to the TV schedule on Comedy Network, but thankfully my sister sent me this. I laughed so hard :D Colbert owned O'Reilly!
Good times, good times.

Indecision 2007

I find myself very confused about high schools today. My whole life I've planned to go to High School A, but recently I've been more and more leaning towards High School B.
High School A has a really good IB program, and that's where my sisters went. But I only know a few kids who are going there, and since I'm out of district I'm not sure if I'll be able to get in (you're techinically supposed to be able to go into their IB program even if you aren't in their district, but all the kids from the suburbs who don't have any other school are getting in first).
High School B has a comparable AP program, which might not be quite as good as IB, but still pretty well put together. I know I'd be able to get in, as I'm in the district. It's also close, and is the feeder school for my current school.
What made me realize was a conversation in French class, where Vi said she hated our current school and would be happy to not see any of the kids in it again. I was upset to find out that she disliked where we go and she explained that she was made to go there, and while she was happy to make Gill, Sheilagh and I as friends, she was sad to leave all her other good friends. I grew up with a group of kids, most of which go to our current school. We were all really close in elementary, but once we got to junior high we spilt up. But now I'm getting close to them again, and if I go to high school A It'll be hard to keep those friendships going.
It's all very confusing! I want to talk about it with my family and close friends before I make a decision. Anyway, it's helpful to be able to writer everything down here!

Other stuff

Listening to Bob Dylan... Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Turned out that ditz on The One didn't ruin it for me after all. (She sang it with a huge smile plastered on her face. I don't think she realized it was about someone knowing they were about to die.)

I want to update the student teacher situation. She's not nearly as bad as she was, I think she realized that just because we're teenagers doesn't mean we're idiots. Just thought I should let you know, it wouldn't be fair to her otherwise.

Finished Oryx And Crake this morning. It was well done, although I found the ending was quite odd... but I won't ruin that for anyone who hasn't read it. I like The Handmaid's Tale better simply to the fact that it's about an independent woman who was put in an awful situation, whereas Oryx And Crake was about a sheltered boy who was desensitized to violence at a young age through the internet. I find I can relate better to the woman... I found both very effective in making their point, though.

Anyway... I had a good week. I'm lucky we only have mid-terms in math at my school, it makes things a lot less stressful. Some of our teachers are kicking lesson plans into high gear though, as our interim report cards are coming up *cough* social class *cough* :P

On another note, I've had Rae Spoon's 'Oil Rigs' stuck in my head the past couple days. Good song. It describes the Albertan experience pretty well. I really wanted to post the lyrics here, but I couldn't find them. I'll send you to his website, anyway :)
Check it out!

And on that note, I'd better go, Gabi's coming over to hang out. See ya!

Catching up

I've been quite busy lately, lots to write about!

On Thursday night we headed of to Grant McEwan, where Margaret Atwood was speaking. We got in, sat down and waited for the oh-so-lovely Todd Babiak (note the sarcasm... my sister isn't his biggest fan) to finish his supposed-to-be-but-not-really-all-that-funny intro. Then came who I believe to be the president of the college, who talked like the Glad Man. He kind of looked like him too. Creepy. Finally Atwood herself got up and talked for a few minutes about her book and how it relates to the environment today, cracking quite a few (good) jokes a long the way. Then she took questions. They'd set it up so she couldn't attack any specific member of the audience, as she has been known to do in the past. They had the question slips attached to your ticket, you submitted them anonymously, and then Babiak chose which ones she got to answer. It all turned out quite well!

Last night we headed up to the U of A campus to watch The U of A's Orchesis Dance Group Motif 2007.
It was pretty standard as far as modern dance goes, stuff like what Audrey Hepburn did in Funny Face. But some stood out. Like the one by Sara Martin, who used really hip music paired with different coloured 'listen' shirts to really give it the feel of young, new dance. Not really stuffy like everyone else's.
My favorite had to be the last, called 'Revolver: 6 Shots', all to Beatles music... with a serious dose of wit. It was written by guest choreographer Cori Caulfield. Think office workers dressed in various forms of deconstructed suits. I took a lot of pictures, but only a few turned out because I couldn't keep the camera still I was laughing so hard!

Taxman: They kept those positions for the entire song. Poor guy at the back who's upside down! Everyone cheered when he got up.

I love the guy frantically typing away.

They reveal the sticky-note submarine.

And ride away in it... this is a crappy photo, but I couldn't not include it!

How cool is this?

You Are Most Like John F. Kennedy

You live a fairy tale life that most people envy. And while you may have a few dark secrets, few people know them.

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

I highly respect JFK... I think it's awesome that I'm most like him :)

Margaret Atwood

Everyone in my family seems to enjoy Margaret Atwood books, so when I came across The Handmaids Tale in my LA classroom I was encouraged to read it.

You've probably heard of if not read the book. It's about a woman named Ofwarren, in future world ruled by Chrsitian fundamentalists. There she is placed in the class of the handmaids, a group of women whose only purpose is to breed for the upper class.

My father, who'd read it before, asked me when I was finished if I found it depressing, as he did. My overall emotion wasn't depression, rather thankfulness we don't live in a world where women are treated in such a way. Or where being a feminist meant you had to clean up toxic waste for the rest of your life. Where resisting the leaders ideals meant you were accused of being a rapist and subjected to torture and beating.


Just after I finished that book my sister (who's a writer/book reveiwer) got tickets to a lecture Margaret Atwood's having here on Thursday. Somewhere between 2000 and 3000 people are going and we managed to get what looks like some of the last copies of Oryx And Crake, the book she's speaking about. I'm a pretty fast reader, but this might be a bit of a stretch! Oh well, I know people who are going without even having read the book! It should be fun, though.

Dear student teacher,

Just wanted to say how much I hate your guts. Your chest revealing, caked on make-up wearing, ditzy, flaky guts. No, I'm not the kind of girl who spends an hour on her make-up every morning. I don't even wear make-up. Why? Cause why should I spend time making myself look fake for guys I won't even know in a few years. The kind of guy I want to end up with won't care if I do or not. But this obviously isn't case for you, as you, the 22 year old, hits on the only guy in our group. Don't pretend the rest of us don't notice, we're teenage girls, we know what flirting looks like.
And stop complaining about and pretending we don't know the first thing about university. My sister have already all graduated with degrees higher than yours. And when I said the principal was a doctor, you didn't have to tell me she wasn't an actual doctor in that snobby way. I'm not frickin seven years old! I know what it means to have a doctorite!
I am so sick of your saying we need to get back to work and then your going on and on about how hard high school is and how you just got in to university cause technically your school is considered an academic school. You can flirt with Nick all you want and let Vi and I write everything, but as soon as I talk you snap at me to be quiet. You're lucky I didn't talk more, but it just so happened that I was to distracted by the way your neon green eye shadow didn't quite meet up with your non-existent eyebrows.
Oh my god! Someone guessed you were 28 instead of 22, whatever will you do? It's 6 years. Stop being so immature.
And your going on about how kids in Catholic schools are so much better behaved than us, not cool.
Why don't you just do your job, and stop trampling our self-esteems?
Oh, and just because I'm not completely mainstream and don't dress like a prostitute Barbie doesn't mean you can treat me like you do. Like crap. I came in to this respecting you and ready to work. You obviously didn't. I've now lost all that respect.
Just thought I'd let you know.
Yours truly,
Becky

Way too excited...

Rick Mercer came to my home turf, the U of A! I'm not even kidding, I spent most of my time as a toddler on campus. That's where all my sisters went to university, and where I plan to go also! That nanotechnology building is where my uncle works, and I work out in the same area as the volleyball team! I find this so insanely cool! I know where all the places he went are! Anyway, check that story out here! Or, to see the rest of that program (or any other program), go here!

What Monty Python Sketch Character are you?

Take this quiz!

Winter's in full swing

Thought I'd share some of the photos I took today... BarbW requested some pictures of snow, and here they are :)