It has been over 3 months now since I last posted, my apologies to my few readers. I have been in a state of transition and trying to figure out how to fit back into a world where I have been gone for some time. It has been tricksy and I still don't think I've got it figured out but it's time to continue posting again, even in the strange.
My best friend has left the country and traveling in a place where I have already been, so I have looked up some of my old emails of my adventure there and I am posting it for the enjoyment of all who like watching or reading about train wrecks.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Moving and Cleansing
I'm moving!
yes this is the beginning of a new journey. Out of school and into full time salaried work. It came by chance, and one must say yes to opportunities presented to them. SO I said yes to the job in Calgary, and now I have to pack up my belongings and say goodbye to some very excellent people.
I booked my moving truck yesterday and I got the smallest one, but now i'm worried that my stuff might not fit. So instead of going back, and paying more of an already ridiculous rate (800$ to move myself, bloody hell!) I've decided to become ruthless and get rid of the things I thought I once needed but probably don't now.
A lot of those things I'm clearing out are books and I have a hard time parting with books. Maybe because I went on a journey with them, I dedicated many hours to discovering the character's secrets, and that more times than I can count a book has hit home and helped create an understanding in my own life. They are treasures that I may not read again ( I have been known to read a book more than once, and will continue to do so) but they remind me of a time in my life. A time that I may be giving a memory away. I've had to do some reflecting and I am enjoying the freedom that removing clutter can do in a person's life, but I also thought it would be harder than this. I'm keeping what is precious to me, and removing that which was momentary. I can trust that I'll read more great books and I can trust that public libraries will hold onto the books I love and I will be able to access them there. It's the only consolation I can give myself.
Now to figure out how to say goodbye to the people I love
yes this is the beginning of a new journey. Out of school and into full time salaried work. It came by chance, and one must say yes to opportunities presented to them. SO I said yes to the job in Calgary, and now I have to pack up my belongings and say goodbye to some very excellent people.
I booked my moving truck yesterday and I got the smallest one, but now i'm worried that my stuff might not fit. So instead of going back, and paying more of an already ridiculous rate (800$ to move myself, bloody hell!) I've decided to become ruthless and get rid of the things I thought I once needed but probably don't now.
A lot of those things I'm clearing out are books and I have a hard time parting with books. Maybe because I went on a journey with them, I dedicated many hours to discovering the character's secrets, and that more times than I can count a book has hit home and helped create an understanding in my own life. They are treasures that I may not read again ( I have been known to read a book more than once, and will continue to do so) but they remind me of a time in my life. A time that I may be giving a memory away. I've had to do some reflecting and I am enjoying the freedom that removing clutter can do in a person's life, but I also thought it would be harder than this. I'm keeping what is precious to me, and removing that which was momentary. I can trust that I'll read more great books and I can trust that public libraries will hold onto the books I love and I will be able to access them there. It's the only consolation I can give myself.
Now to figure out how to say goodbye to the people I love
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Gotta know where I've been to know where I'm going?
After a year of struggling, working, and living quietly impoverished. I have had a chance to look back and see what I have accomplished in order to either become employed in the near future or remain in a jobless future. Also after reviewing the list of odd jobs, and saying yes to everything that came my way, I still have no idea of what I’m supposed to be doing and where I’m supposed to be. One would think that after a year of doing a lot or random things that this would be simple to figure out, and that I would have more certainty in my life. However it has created more uncertainty in my life than ever before. I guess knowing what I know now to what I knew a year ago, I have grown by leaps and bounds, and my mantra of “be cool Yvonne, be cool” has kept me content with where I‘m at. So here is the list of odd jobs and projects completed last year in chronological order:
Son Image Conference – Where I read my paper on Jean Luc Godard to academics from around the world.
Film Camp – best one yet
Queer City Cinema – Data Entry
Camera person for FNUniv Young Entrepreneur Camp
One Take Super 8 Event – created a 3 minute animation
Writing a Splice Article
Getting advertising for Splice Magazine
A course on Scriptwriting with David Gane
Photo Workshop with Scott Collegiate
Building Bridges Music video Shoot – With Payepot School
Radio Wiilwaal – 9 short clips
Camera Assistant for berny hi’s “Veronique a Velo” Film
Regina Open Door Society – Note taker at an Immigration Settlement Conference Regina Open Door – creating a Report from the conference
Radio Wiilwaal – 4 video clips
Santa Photo’s at Northgate Mall
“Je Reve de Paris” Film Screening at the “Godard Project”
Editor on Regena Marler’s Video “This Museum Called Home “
UNESCO – “Do you see what I think” video project
Radio Wiilwaal – “How to date a white woman” short film
The Visual Story course with Chrystene Ells
Arts Smarts Grant with Wascana Community School
I believe that these are all the projects I said yes to from June 2010 to June 2011. Some were profitable, some were out of necessity, but all were educational and helped me gain a huge amount of knowledge. Of all the things I learned this year the best and biggest lesson I learned was that, I may not know what I’m supposed to be when I grow up, but everything I do is leading towards my own success. It is totally alright to not know what I’m supposed to do with my life. I just keep trusting that everything will land in the right place at the right time, and all I have to do is say yes to it. Maybe one day I’ll have a full time job that pays well, and maybe I‘m destined for something else. Until then I’m just gonna “be cool, Yvonne, be cool” and continue saying yes until the perfect something comes my way.
Son Image Conference – Where I read my paper on Jean Luc Godard to academics from around the world.
Film Camp – best one yet
Queer City Cinema – Data Entry
Camera person for FNUniv Young Entrepreneur Camp
One Take Super 8 Event – created a 3 minute animation
Writing a Splice Article
Getting advertising for Splice Magazine
A course on Scriptwriting with David Gane
Photo Workshop with Scott Collegiate
Building Bridges Music video Shoot – With Payepot School
Radio Wiilwaal – 9 short clips
Camera Assistant for berny hi’s “Veronique a Velo” Film
Regina Open Door Society – Note taker at an Immigration Settlement Conference Regina Open Door – creating a Report from the conference
Radio Wiilwaal – 4 video clips
Santa Photo’s at Northgate Mall
“Je Reve de Paris” Film Screening at the “Godard Project”
Editor on Regena Marler’s Video “This Museum Called Home “
UNESCO – “Do you see what I think” video project
Radio Wiilwaal – “How to date a white woman” short film
The Visual Story course with Chrystene Ells
Arts Smarts Grant with Wascana Community School
I believe that these are all the projects I said yes to from June 2010 to June 2011. Some were profitable, some were out of necessity, but all were educational and helped me gain a huge amount of knowledge. Of all the things I learned this year the best and biggest lesson I learned was that, I may not know what I’m supposed to be when I grow up, but everything I do is leading towards my own success. It is totally alright to not know what I’m supposed to do with my life. I just keep trusting that everything will land in the right place at the right time, and all I have to do is say yes to it. Maybe one day I’ll have a full time job that pays well, and maybe I‘m destined for something else. Until then I’m just gonna “be cool, Yvonne, be cool” and continue saying yes until the perfect something comes my way.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Flying Kites with Broken Fingers
When I was in grade 5 my school planned an end of the year, after class, bike ride picnic with our parents. In which all of the year five students bike down to fish creek park to have a weiner roast and also fly our kites. Now I don't know about you but my family in the 80's were not the wealthiest of families, we were not destitute, but there was no frivolous spending especially on something breakable like a kite. So instead of buying one my dad and I built one together, with wooden dowels and black garbage bags. Now some people like flash and fancy when it comes to kite flying, but I just enjoyed making a kite with my dad to the point of being extremely excited to go to this picnic and send it on its maiden flight it in the park.
However on the day of the picnic, our phys ed class was outside playing baseball, with a bouncy squishy ball, I was the short stop and near the end of the class I went to catch the ball, and I very nearly had it when it rolled out of my hand with only my little pinky finger getting caught and jammed (or so I thought) as it left my hand. The bell rang, and my finger hurt, but being a timid child I didn't tell my phys ed teacher about it, instead I went back to home room too excited to go on my biking/picnic/kite flying trip. As I packed everything for the day up my finger throbbed more, and eventually I went to my trusted home room teacher and asked her for help. She was busy preparing for the trip, and was irritated by my coming to her with this problem. "Well if your finger hurts maybe you shouldn't go on the bike ride" was her response, and mine back was "oh no it doesn't hurt that bad, maybe we can just tape it and it will be fine." She was annoyed, I was wasting her precious time with this little insignificant problem, but I wanted to fly my kite. She taped it up and sent me on my way. My hand hurt the entire bike ride, and it hurt all throughout the picnic, and it hurt through the kite flying, but there was no way I was going to miss this event for anything let alone a broken finger.
My kite was amazing, it flew the highest, actually it was the only kite that flew. I was elated with this kite, the best kite in the world. It was a home made kite, something I made with my dad, it was AMAZING, everyone wanted one, they looked at me through envious eyes. Then the worst thing imaginable happened. A tree flew into it's path and there the kite got stuck. It was a devastating blow, my amazing kite stuck in a tree! What were we to do? what if it didn't fly after this? what if I couldn't get it out? it's not like we could go and make another... we fished it out of the tree but it did not come away unscathed. There were little holes where the branches pierced the garbage bag, it would never fly now : ( wait... it's flying... my kite is still flying... it was truly the most amazing kite ever!
The picnic ended, as did the kite flying, and I had to bike home in finger aching pain, up the steepest hill, and I endured it all with no complaint.
Later that evening I could no longer endure the pain. My parents knew I had hurt my finger, but they too thought it was nothing, until I was up all night in finger throbbing pain. Finally they took me to the emergency room, where after waiting forever, they gave me an x-ray and found out that I had broken my finger, and not only was it broken it was "a bad break"(hooray for doctors). A rubber squishy ball broke my finger at the joint, and a piece of that joint was no longer attached to anything... this break required surgery, and after the surgery it required a summer full of physio. I got flowers from my gym teacher, but not a word from my home room teacher. What a Bitch!
However on the day of the picnic, our phys ed class was outside playing baseball, with a bouncy squishy ball, I was the short stop and near the end of the class I went to catch the ball, and I very nearly had it when it rolled out of my hand with only my little pinky finger getting caught and jammed (or so I thought) as it left my hand. The bell rang, and my finger hurt, but being a timid child I didn't tell my phys ed teacher about it, instead I went back to home room too excited to go on my biking/picnic/kite flying trip. As I packed everything for the day up my finger throbbed more, and eventually I went to my trusted home room teacher and asked her for help. She was busy preparing for the trip, and was irritated by my coming to her with this problem. "Well if your finger hurts maybe you shouldn't go on the bike ride" was her response, and mine back was "oh no it doesn't hurt that bad, maybe we can just tape it and it will be fine." She was annoyed, I was wasting her precious time with this little insignificant problem, but I wanted to fly my kite. She taped it up and sent me on my way. My hand hurt the entire bike ride, and it hurt all throughout the picnic, and it hurt through the kite flying, but there was no way I was going to miss this event for anything let alone a broken finger.
My kite was amazing, it flew the highest, actually it was the only kite that flew. I was elated with this kite, the best kite in the world. It was a home made kite, something I made with my dad, it was AMAZING, everyone wanted one, they looked at me through envious eyes. Then the worst thing imaginable happened. A tree flew into it's path and there the kite got stuck. It was a devastating blow, my amazing kite stuck in a tree! What were we to do? what if it didn't fly after this? what if I couldn't get it out? it's not like we could go and make another... we fished it out of the tree but it did not come away unscathed. There were little holes where the branches pierced the garbage bag, it would never fly now : ( wait... it's flying... my kite is still flying... it was truly the most amazing kite ever!
The picnic ended, as did the kite flying, and I had to bike home in finger aching pain, up the steepest hill, and I endured it all with no complaint.
Later that evening I could no longer endure the pain. My parents knew I had hurt my finger, but they too thought it was nothing, until I was up all night in finger throbbing pain. Finally they took me to the emergency room, where after waiting forever, they gave me an x-ray and found out that I had broken my finger, and not only was it broken it was "a bad break"(hooray for doctors). A rubber squishy ball broke my finger at the joint, and a piece of that joint was no longer attached to anything... this break required surgery, and after the surgery it required a summer full of physio. I got flowers from my gym teacher, but not a word from my home room teacher. What a Bitch!
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Bridge
Being in Regina can be difficult at times but there are many lovely things about this city as well. I was looking through some of my photo's and up popped some pictures from a walk my friend Danielle and I took through the amazing Wascana Park. Wascana sits in the middle of the city and it is a huge hit with all the residents of Regina, so it can be busy on the best of days.
Now Danielle and I have walked through this park many times over, and we have complained about the bottle-necking that occurs on the road bridge on Broad street. This complaint is not just our own, because finally they decided to make a pedestrian bridge to ease the foot traffic that would constantly occur. All last winter and all through the summer we would look to where the bridge was being built and wonder why it was taking so long. We could imagine the awesomeness of this new feature to the park and anticipated the day the bridge would be open.
Early this fall we went on our walk, no expectations in mind preparing for the clog, but when we got there we found that the bridge was finally open. We decided to honor the moment by taking photo's and calling it an inauguration. We were so happily surprised that the entire walk turned out to be a lovely evening, and it happened to have us meeting up with Danielle's mom and sister on a walk of their own.
Now Danielle and I have walked through this park many times over, and we have complained about the bottle-necking that occurs on the road bridge on Broad street. This complaint is not just our own, because finally they decided to make a pedestrian bridge to ease the foot traffic that would constantly occur. All last winter and all through the summer we would look to where the bridge was being built and wonder why it was taking so long. We could imagine the awesomeness of this new feature to the park and anticipated the day the bridge would be open.
Early this fall we went on our walk, no expectations in mind preparing for the clog, but when we got there we found that the bridge was finally open. We decided to honor the moment by taking photo's and calling it an inauguration. We were so happily surprised that the entire walk turned out to be a lovely evening, and it happened to have us meeting up with Danielle's mom and sister on a walk of their own.
Girlfriend in a Coma... I know it's serious
Today I don't have any memories that are popping up as being super significant. I just thought I would update the blog as I haven't been on in awhile.
Right now I'm reading Douglas Coupland's Girlfriend in a Coma and I find i have a hard time putting it down because he is such a great writer and it's a mash-up story about a group of friends, one of which falls into a 17year coma, and the rest of them, not asleep, move through life in an awake coma like state. They fail to develop into adults, and when the one friend wakes from her coma she still feels 17 even though she is now 34. The story takes a drastic turn after that and turns into an apocalyptic warning that makes it even more difficult to put down.
I just really like the way Coupland see's the world and looks at the future. After reading many of his books, certain themes ring out. The future is now, the grouping of friends/ people (the need for them to survive), the constant search for meaning in this world (with traces of existentialism), and just a completely different viewpoint from my own. I wish I thought like Coupland, but I also am happy I don't.
I don't know how he continues to create when he sees disaster coming. He presents a cynicism and satirical look at the world with the potential for hope and I don't know how he does it.
Right now I'm reading Douglas Coupland's Girlfriend in a Coma and I find i have a hard time putting it down because he is such a great writer and it's a mash-up story about a group of friends, one of which falls into a 17year coma, and the rest of them, not asleep, move through life in an awake coma like state. They fail to develop into adults, and when the one friend wakes from her coma she still feels 17 even though she is now 34. The story takes a drastic turn after that and turns into an apocalyptic warning that makes it even more difficult to put down.
I just really like the way Coupland see's the world and looks at the future. After reading many of his books, certain themes ring out. The future is now, the grouping of friends/ people (the need for them to survive), the constant search for meaning in this world (with traces of existentialism), and just a completely different viewpoint from my own. I wish I thought like Coupland, but I also am happy I don't.
I don't know how he continues to create when he sees disaster coming. He presents a cynicism and satirical look at the world with the potential for hope and I don't know how he does it.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Patios, mini golf, and Queen's Don't Stop Me Now
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