It's like business baby!
I've said goodbye to some doozies this week, Paige and Cid will dearly be missed. But in the inneviatable goodbye's that I am facing this week leaving the University haven, I realize, and yes you two girls fall into this, that there are some people I just don't have to worry about losing.
With relationships there's some people who its just organic with, whom regardless of distance, or life choices, or wrong life choices, that at any point where paths cross again, everything will just be as usual. It's like some sort of understood business deal, where both parties know maybe not today, maybe not tommorow, but someday you may be called into action and needed in order to succeed or just get through some tough times. To those who say they really know you, it will always be fine, for they understand that we each have to do our own things but in the end you always have a place to crash if paths cross.
That being said, to everyone from my London life that I hold dear, thank you, and I really don't have to say anymore because I know you'll all know why, and for what. And if you don't then I never liked you anyways! :?O
Snap'em if you Got'em
So arguably the hottest fad to hit the circle of London love in the last while has to be the coloured elastic bracelets for different causes that are plaguing mother earth right now, which it seems everyone is sporting on their wrists. From my count, we have yellow arm bracelets to signify cancer awareness, black/white ones for racism awareness, blue for good ole tsunami help, and of course my favorite, the bright green for Sudan which I sport daily on my left wrist. Now for those who don't know this new fad started with ball players who used coloured elastics to remind them of the heart/strength/power/focus/whatever it is that they lacked come game time or in the midst of serious hardcourt pressure.
The basic idea behind these elastic causes is that whenever you need a reminder of that which your trying to accomplish, snap the elastic against your skin, give daddy a little sting and remember what's worse than that which is going on in your life. Now some people are pissed that, especially the yellow livestrong bracelets, have become such a fad, but I don't like those people because I disagree with them :O, for if theres going to be a fad that is based around the causes that need attention in this world, then fine by me; ill buy buy buy.
But you gotta support the cause your behind, if I see a livestrong bracelet in the corner of the smoking section at the bar, I want to laugh, and pity, and most likely judge anytime I see them from there on. I personally can't sport an anti cancer campaign when I smoke, it belittles the cause and patronizes the meaning behind it. But then again the same people are wearing uggs in April.If in no way in my immediate future can I save the crisis in Sudan, if nothing else i can tell people about the details that comprise the issue so that maybe eventually the people that can fix the problem will be wearing a green elastic on their wrist too.
concsious dystopia
I finally figured out what has been itching me about the spectacle of papacy going on for the past two weeks.
Upon what should of been one of the holiest and faithful moments of my young adult life, I sat in wonder of something that has never happened in my lifetime, and represents one of the ultimate of moments for 1 billion people on this planet; and instead of just watching, listening and accepting, I was inundated with pundits on every channel discussing the liberal and conservative undertones that this pope will bring to his new chosen position.
If anyone has ever said that there should be a division of church and state, they should turn on the television right now and see how imbedded politics are in every single move of the catholic church. Within an hour of coverage, I have heard nonstop critique and compliment for the views that the German cardinal brings to the papacy.
My wonder is however, that if this spectacle of papal politics is a product of the mediated spectacle that has been driven out of the passing of John Paul II. The nature of 24/7 coverage of major world events is such that it needs to feed an entire industries narrative outlets. Meaning, if there is going to be 24/7 coverage of an event, it needs to include political, religious, educated and opinionated dialogue to fill the constant airwaves. It started with 9.11, then the Afghani and Iraq invasions, and continues with everything from the sniper, reagan death, and now pope election.
Consistent coverage cheapens the event, removes the awe and the emotion that should surround extraordinary happenings in human existence. The media is stealing my emotions and nulling them because every single world event that I educate myself on becomes weighed down with the critical analysis of its political and cultural attachments.
Sometimes I wish I hadnt taken a degree based in cultural critique, for if ingnorance would of provided me with the blissful experience of the natural emotion that should flow with the changing of a leader that is worshiped by a sixth of the world's population than maybe I wouldnt feel so negative towards the faith towards which I was raised on and continue to have systematic and ethical issues with.
you cant spell weather without, we hate her
Ever notice how often you talk to people about the weather; of course you do! In the past month you have no doubt had at least one coversation with at least one random person about any and probably all of the following topics.
1) hrmm...I miss the snow!
2) arnt you glad the snow's gone
3) spring..beautiful, let's discuss
4) I can't wait for summer
5) do you think it's going to rain today
Now over the weekend I feel as if I have had a conversation about all of the above with someone who I was trying to either A) meet for the first time, or B) relieve otherwise awkward tension with those I do know but creative discussion has otherwise ran dry.
What is it about weather talk that brings people so close together? It's like the lowest common denominator all humans share is to discuss that which the majority of us understand the least, but depend on the most: sweet ole mother nature (what a fine lady she is too).
It's funny though, that humanity's conversation fallback is over the one thing that we as humans take for granted and continually break down. Now, Im not going to get into some save the planet speech because I contribute to the destruction of my local environment as much as the next gent.
What I do think is endanger though is the incredible ease the weather brings to common chit chat across the globe. If we keep breaking good ole gaia down, what the hell are we gonna do for small talk with strangers when there's nothing left to welcome a conversation with.
Did you ever see the original Highlander when the Ozone was depleted and everyone lived in this red shell ozone layered planet. I dont think there was even one smile in that entire movie until the end when they restored the fresh air to the planet.
So I guess, next time you want to liter, or spray your hair with aveda products, or what have you...think of all the times weather convo has saved the day, and made awkward okay!
*sidenote* KFC uses on average three paper bags when distributing a 3 piece fried chicken meal. this is yet another reason why you should not eat at KFC.
other reasons include:
- disgusting greasy food.
- pain and puke in your immediate future.
- the likes of those you see while eating there.
mmm...Big Mac's
Recently I've been having issues with my wireless web card and I ve been almost three weeks without a laptop mounted on my person, which i could, at any moment, pop it open and get connected.
Now I was never really a big web guy; until about 7 months ago, I would be on msn when I could, but I wasn't really one of those surf the web types, soaking in the worldly knowledge of the commons newswire. Then Paige introduced and urged me to get in blogging...blessed paige:P! Now a month into my wireless famine I find myself suffering a withdrawal that never existed before. I started investing so much time into a webbed community that once I got stuck in a wire---less community I found myself angry and bitter. I cant stop smoking, i cry at night, and i hug other electrical equipment in the house just to find some solace; toasters are gorgeous appliances arnt they.
This has turned into some sort of SuperSize me experiment gone wrong...cause my usual sleep on my ass, relax, *cough*study*cough, and veg sunday's have me up and at a computer lab on campus just because my roomate was going the lab that needs a key card to get in to play with G5s. mmm...big mac's :P
I'm feeling the digital divide and man its alienating...i feel removed from some social circles that I would otherwise find myself involved with thanks to a square cube of metal and plastic on my lap: i miss you too alex, but with your recent laptop disaster of your own, maybe we
should just start using the phone.
so all in all, i guess I am telling you all to value your web access and don't take it granted, the digital divide hurts more than just the economic heirarchy of the world's nations, it also hurts the lazy and poor student in your own backyard.
*tear
Parkour can kiss my ass, and scrape my knee
Okay...so let's all laugh a little on a fabulous monday.
So parkour or free running is this all the rage new form of moving from place to place. It's defined at
parkour.com as "the art of moving from one place to another with fluidity allows you to see your environment differently. The Quest's goal is to become part of the environment in order to develop your mind and body". Now after visiting with my brother this past weekend, and reading an article from last month's mit zine (
mitsc.ca/zine) I'm all like, "yeah this is pretty cool". Now you have to understand me saying that something is pretty cool usually means, I accept, enjoy the thought of, watch, get impressed, and then go about my day. Well for some reason like twenty minutes ago, I'm working away in the media lab and me and Poolie decide to go out for a smoke.
So were outside smoking, and Cindy encourages to move to the other side of the building so as to escape the blistering plus 15 winds (damn you CID), and Im all like "Poolie, let's Parkour!!!" So we start the fluid motion of moving place to place and I'm all like up on the ledges, skipping, spinning off the cement and then i go to pivot off the wall and then as im coming down, WHAMMO! ground.
If parkour is about interacting with your environment, I certainly parkoured my ass right into stardom. My elbow interacted with the cement, my pants interacted with the cement, my knees grossely interacted with the cement, and my dignity floated far far away from my laid out on the ground ass, as I winced and moaned with my twisted ankle and bloody palms.
So to all you wanna be spiderman parkourers out there...bite me, Im sticking to porches, and couches and Ill roll over them and soak up the "lifestyle" more than any of you free runners could ever get out of groping a poll or leaping tall buildings.
...when i hurt, i patronize!
Black Pope Gives me Hope
I grew up catholic, raised by parents who are relatively religious, who would go to church as often as they felt the need to repent (which is the way those buildings should work: only when you feel guilty should you need a venue to which you can turn) and who sent me to a catholic highschool for the last few years of my secondary education.
I had a lot of problems with catholocism when I left Father Leo J. Austin in Whitby, whereas those problems led me to want to reject my faith and turn to a more personally driven approach to religion and a very open minded acceptance of what I believe to be true and faithful. My major problems with the sect of christianity to which I was baptized was first the hypocrisy in the text and fundamentals to which catholocism preaches, as well as the money driven politics events like World Youth day; all in all these things soured my concept of organized religion as a whole. I can understand that the largest mass in history requires money, but charging $130 a head to get a weekend pass to Toronto's world youth day when Vatican City has a combined wealth worth more than 90% of the worlds national economies is simply not faithful and ignores community in my books.
Needless to say for the past four years I have restructured my beliefs and feel as though I have started a new religion simply called "faith" whereas I believe there is a god, I pray to him, I live by a moral code, and believe that regardless of skin colour, ethinicity, or sexuality you can believe in whatever the hell you want, wherever the hell you want, and you don't need an organization to tell you whats right or wrong and then ask for a donation and say that your soul as been cleansed simply by showing up to mass.
However, the pope has recently died (for those of you living under a rock) and after soaking equivalent hours to my 24 with Keifer consumption habits I now find myself drawn into the catholic world once again with hopes that the passing of John Paul II can lead to a fresh start for catholocism and a possible turn in the near future for those things that itch me most about my former faith.
Before I tell you how my faith towards catholics might change let me first vent about the recent spectacle that the pope's death has brought to our media consumption. I don't know why but for some reason I feel as though this experience has been cheapened for me because of the oversaturation of coverage this religious icon has received in the media for the past week. I understand his value to the world and what he has done, and my negatives towards John Paul II death's coverage has nothing to do with the value of work he has done for the human race for the past twenty five years or the value the pope has as an icon to a good chunk of the faithful world. There is just something about globally viewing the touring of his body and the creation of a Mark Burnett styled competition for the new job that just really sours the whole experience for me.
Granted I have never witness a papal transition but I just feel as though there should be something more organic, less televised, less mediated in the consumption of this man's death. Television is such a cool medium (thank you mcluhan) and this is such a hot topic, that I feel as though the way in which individuals should deal with this event is away from the screen whereas the pope's programming is mixed in between episodes of queer eye for the straight guy and desperate housewives. I may be wrong, this programming may be necessary, but it just itches, and in my opinion everything that itches deserves a whine, a cry or two.
How, pretell, do I see a shining light at the end of my sectual tunnel. Well, my hope for catholocism lies in the fact that a strong majority of media coverage is leaning towards the election of
Cardinal Francis Arinze as the potential pope to follow good ole JPII. If the Catholic church decides to elect a black pope I openly here and now admit that I will restore my faith in catholocism and preach that as the sect to which I belong. Why? Well, because my biggest problem with catholocism is the cemented way in which the fundamentals of the church have not changed for as long as I have known. I believe if Arinze is chosen you will see great change in the mentality of one 6th of the world's population and that those who anger me most with catholics will have to realize that the world is changing and that norms and mores of the past may be changing for good. My analysis in this post is shallow I know, but nevertheless it is my reasoning and please to know more about what Arinze has done and could potentially do for the church, continue reading different sites on the internet about this Cardinal and the work he has already done in Africa up until this point.
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