Bad poem

Writers block.
Studying block.
Lots of blocks.

I sit
and wait
for inspiration,
dedication,
but all I get
is procrastination.

Must study.
Must write.
Losing my mind.

Thinking of sandy beaches,
salty waters and
pina coladas.
Although I hate pina coladas,
but they are the logo
of the beach.

Logo
Slogan
Branding
Back to school work. Bah.

Miss Rep.

I went to see the documentary 'Miss Representation' last week. We had to review either a movie, play, concert or book for Journalism class, so it was perfect because I really wanted to see this film.

It's a documentary on the misrepresentation of women in the media and how this correlates to the underrrespresentation of women in positions of influence and power.

This film kind of made me depressed. The United States, supposedly one of the top democratic and equal oppurtunistic countries is ranked 90th in the world for women in national legislature. And women make up only 3% in clout positions with the media. 3%!!

Another fun fact I didn't know. Advertisers and the government are in a I'll scratch your back if you scratch ours relationship. Do you remember family hour? Do people even know what it is anymore? When I was a kid, advertisers and shows had an obligation to show adult content after a certain hour when kids were more likey to be in bed. Nowadays it's a free for all. Advertisers give money and backing to government, and in return laws of have been reversed so that advertisers can get away with anything. I wanted to show you a couple of pictures of high fashion ads but I couldn't find them. One was of a woman, and all you see are her legs hanging out of the back of a trunk. The other was of a woman with a gun being pointed at her, and she's shielding herself with a handbag. Anything goes these days.

To be continued...

 

R.I.P. CDs

My poor mom. This world is just moving too fast for her. We were watching the news tonight and a story came on about the death of CDs. She couldn't believe it.

"But we still have records!" She exclaimed.
Yes mom, we do. We just don't play them anymore. Or tapes. And now CDs. Everything will be on the computer.

"I don't like this world anymore." She says. We laugh. She's so old school.

Makes me wonder about the conversation I'll have with my own kids one day. What new changes in technology are going to send me over the edge?...

Soapbox

Remembrance Day. A time to reflect. A time to honour those that have fallen and those that will fall. It's a time to remember the soldiers that gave so much for their country. The soldiers....most of who were and are young kids.

The Remembrance Day service I went to was beautiful. Lots of music and readings. But the homily that was given made my hair stand on end.

The man started to speak of "the elephant in the room...big business." He went on to say the foe was the three piece suit who was on Wall st. He blamed politicians and CEO's for all of the worlds problem. Funny thing, there were politicians sitting right in the front row. I wonder how they felt. He also offended Jehovah witnesses, with a pointless joke. I'm sure there were a few sitting among the service too.

An old friends mom came up to say hi to me at the end of the service. She just couldn't believe what the speaker had said. Her husband had actually walked out during the homily. His brother was killed in the Korean war, and he was deeply offended. What a shame the sermon had to mar an otherwise wonderful service. Lest we forget.

The PM (and it's not the Prime Minister)

Friday night, I, along with some fellow students had the privilege of hearing Peter Mansbridge speak. I've always liked him on the National. He's easy to listen to and follow. He has that 'x' factor that is important to a news anchor. We trust him. We believe what he says. He's part of the family.

That's why listening to him speak in person was such a treat. You witnessed the charisma up close and personal. There he stood, on the stage all by himself. No podium, no props, and no mic in front of him. The minute he started speaking, the room went silent and everyone listened. I mean everyone. There was no clinking of glass or cutlery, no chairs moved and no one coughed for at least 45 min.

Peter Mansbridge is an incredible storyteller. He spoke of how he got started, in of all places, Churchill. He spoke of hard work and tenacity. He told three stories of different overseas assignments. One was of Thailand after the Tsunami, one was of the Netherlands and one was of Afghanistan. All three stories centered on what it means to be Canadian and how the rest of the world perceives us. We're caring, generous and "good" as one little Thai girl put it. His stories were powerful, moving and inspiring.

I came away feeling deeply patriotic for our beautiful country. Thankyou Peter.  

Tweet Tweet

When I started out blogging, I wrote my second blogpost on Twitter. I had just joined, and was unsure about the whole thing. Twitter to me seemed like a lot of time wasted. Sure, there would be some interesting stuff, but mostly it would be a lot of unnecessary tweets and articles I didn't care about.

But now, it's safe to say that I really enjoy twitter. Sure, there are those days, where you scroll through a bunch of news articles, pictures, retweets and links you don't care about. But overall, it's an incredible fast superhighway of information. The speed at which you can read up to date articles on news around the world is fantastic.

It's a great way to stay current and (sorry for the cliche)...'in the know.' I love being able to read headline news, entertainment fluff, and updates from friends all in the same space.

Teacher will be late for class? One tweet will let the students know.
Fire on main street that will affect traffic? You'll know.
Riots in Greece over unemployment? You'll know that too.

Has Twitter shortened my attention span? That's totally up for debate.
But one thing I do know, is that Twitter is now my friend.
Blogging on the other hand?...We'll have to wait and see...

 

Thankyou Mr. Frost

A couple of weeks ago, we had to write short fiction stories for our creative writing class. I have to say, the assignment scared me. I had no clue what I wanted to write about. I sat and thought, and sat some more. Then I wrote a sentence or two, read and deleted them and wrote two more.  One step forward, two steps back.

I finally had an idea at the cottage over thanksgiving, being surrounded by trees, the lake, leaves and nature. The forest made me think of one of my favorite poems, which gave me some much needed inspiration. An oldie but a goodie.


Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one travler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,       
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Jets win! Phew...

Well, Winnipeg sports fans rejoice. The Jets have won their first official game. And against the Pittsburgh Penguins, no less! I missed the first two periods, but sat down for the third. Not having been a hockey fan for quite a while, I was surprised at how fast I got into it. Few minutes in, I found myself yelling at the T.V.  I think hockey and I are dating again after a long break up!

I was so stressed near the end, fearing they would drop the puck somehow (bad pun intended), that I turned off the T.V. and went upstairs. In hindsight, I wish I would've watched them win. Silly me!

Oh the sweet taste of victory. Might not last long....but I'll take it.

Autumn's here

I am a summer girl.  I was made for bright sunshine and warmth. Heat makes me happy.  So I moved to the Caribbean where I could feel the hug of a warm salty breeze year round.  But after a couple of years, I realized there was something missing.

Leaves never changed colours. There was never the smell of pumpkin pie, or butternut squash soup. If you went for a walk, there was no bundling up in your favorite scarf and hearing leaves crunch underfoot.  The smell of woodstoves and fire was never in the air. You never heard the wind sounding melancholic or mournful, yet somehow tranquil at the same time.

Autumn. Such a magical time of year.

I'll leave you with an Autumn song that I had never heard before until a couple of weeks ago. My friend was playing Hawksley Workman over dinner and Hawksley's song "Autumn's here" came on.  Simple yet sweet.

Election day

Provincial elections are tomorrow!  This is the first time that I will actually be going to a candidates headquarters and seeing the action unfold from within.  I think it will be pretty interesting seeing the elections from a different viewpoint, rather than just sitting on the couch, watching the T.V.

I will also be interested in following the riding from Minto.  Because our CreComm class went to a forum last week that was held in that riding, we were able to connect with the five candidates that are running.  It changes things when you can put faces to names, and hear personally what they have to say.  Will Andrew Swan (NDP) be re-elected?  Or will the feisty Don Woodstock (Liberal) take the seat?  Maybe even Belinda Squance (PC) will sneak in?  We'll see!

New York state of mind

On Friday, our class had the opportunity to see Page One: Inside The New York Times.  What a great documentary!  As a Newspaper lover, it was fascinating to see the inside workings of the iconic giant. 

I have loved Newspapers since I can remember.  I have vivid memories of my mom getting frustrated with me, as she would call my name repeatedly and I would never respond, too engrossed in the paper.  It was a habit I picked up from my dad, I guess.  He's an avid paper reader too.  We could sit for hours, quietly reading and handing each other different sections.

I found David Carr to be one of the highlights, as did so many of my classmates.  He is eccentric and refreshing.  At times, you sit there thinking, how in the world did someone hire him from The New York Times?!?!  How did he get such a coveted position?   Then you hear him work his sources on the phone, and read what he's written and you know, full stop.  This guy is good. 

There were some other highlights too.  It was inspiring to watch journalists Tim Arango and Brian Stelter in action. I loved the music by Paul Brill. There was so much to this documentary that I feel I need to see it again, just to absorb everything.

Of course the big question is where will The Times be in five years?  We can speculate and make assumptions, but no one really knows.  I will be rooting for The Gray Lady with all my heart. 

The comfort of the three PJs

The three comforting things beginning with PJ?  Well, pajamas of course.  That's an easy one.  The next, is peanut butter and jam sandwiches.  Those always bring me back to my lunches as a kid, sticky fingers and all.  And then there's Pearl Jam.  One of those bands that has managed to keep their musical stylings the same, so they always sound like an old friend, while still staying current.  Hard to believe they are turning 20 this year!

I went to my first Pearl Jam concert on Saturday.  I was so excited to hear Eddie Vedder's voice live!  He puts so much passion and feeling into his singing.  I also love the growly texture.  Eddie didn't disappoint.  Through a two and a half hour set, he belted his heart out, while staying in tune.  Is staying in tune important?  Absolutely!  Nothing bugs me more then Artists who sound great on a CD but are total crap when it comes to performing live.   

There were lots of songs I loved, and some others that I didn't really know.  Song that I cried in?  "Elderly woman behind the counter in a small town".  Just me and 10,000 people all singing to the same tune, like we're around a campfire in someones backyard.  Pearl Jam, old friend....thankyou for a wonderful night.  Hope to see you again soon.

Twitter dee Twitter dum

Twitter.  Is it useful, or just a highway of meaningless information that we have to cipher through?  I've been asking myself that question since it first appeared.  I had no desire to go on it, but now being in Creative Communications, it seems to be pretty important.  Joining one week ago, it's too early to say what side of the Twitter fence I'm on, but I'm keeping an open mind. 
I think it's pretty cool that you can follow anyone.  Without having to be "accepted", you can read what politicians, businessmen, celebrities, companies, friends and even Joe Shmoe are saying.  The instant information you have at your fingertips is mindblowing.  On the other hand, if you start following a ton of people, I could see how alot of time would be spent just reading through all the tweets.  Time well spent?  Or time....well,...spent?  We'll see where the twitter train takes me....

Jumping in with both feet

My first post.  Ever.  I have to admit, it's a little daunting but very exciting at the same time.  I cannot believe how much technology has changed since I graduated from University a "little" while ago.  I never thought I'd be the person to bring out the ole "Back in my day, when I went to school...we had to walk uphill both ways, through the snow."  But funny enough I find myself here.
Being a little old fashioned and sentimental, it's been a struggle for me accepting all of the new stuff that literally comes out daily now.  I still love reading real Newspapers, front to back, every single page whether it's good or bad, until my hands are black from the ink.  I love reading real books where you can smell the pages and binding.  I have been refusing to get a smartphone on the principle of...well...of just being stubborn I guess.  I think now might be the time to reassure my fellow students that although it sounds like it, you do not have an 80 year old classmate. 
That's why I decided to do the exact opposite of what my mind was telling me and enrolled in Communications.  My comfort zone has been completely obliterated.  This is going to be hair pulling, challenging stuff, but that's also the thrill and excitement of it.  So bear with me on this bumpy ride!