cough, cough

This H1N1 thing, I don’t know, should we be as freaked out about it as the media is telling us to be? Is it going to take us all down or is it media hysteria all over again? Anyone remember Y2K, bird flu, SARS?

All week, I’ve seen people in long lines for the vaccine and it’s been the biggest water cooler talk in the office. (Whatever happened to talking about stupid tv shows?) The biggest question asked is “are you getting the shot?” I don’t think I will as there are many more people out there that need it more than me. At least I will wait until everyone that really needs it has the chance to get it.

A small part of me thinks this flu shot hysteria is a huge pharmaceutical cash-grab. Private companies are going to make billions off the vaccine (and their stock prices are currently soaring). And it’s a little shady that many politicians are profiting off of this as well; some of the same people that profited off of Tamiflu when bird flu was labelled an upcoming pandemic. Maybe I’m too much of a skeptic, but why are we not more concerned about the 16,000 children that die a day from hunger? Any death to illness is horrible, but a little perspective please. Supposedly I have the same chances of dying from falling out of bed as I do from H1N1.

With that being said, I am still going to take my little preventative measures; washing hands frequently and taking salt water to gargle and stick up my nose with a Q-tip (funny!). That doesn’t seem too tough.

Stay healthy everyone!

I see my path, but I don't know where it leads

Okay, so I’ve done it now. Last week I told my sister and mom that I will not be joining them in Europe because I have decided to go on my own. I felt bad saying it. I know I would have a good time with them, but I think I have to do this by myself.

Here’s the thing, I have been planning this trip in my mind since I was 18 and now I can finally go (over 10 years later than expected – stupid responsibilities!). I kind of want this to be my own experience, as selfish as that seems.

I realized I wanted to go solo because of an old friend. Way, way back in university, my roommate Claire delighted me with tons of stories from her European adventure (she backpacked alone there for two months before heading to university). I particularly remember how much fun she said she had on her own, meeting people and going off the beaten path. That’s what I want. I want to just be there, do what I feel like on a daily basis, and just go with it. I think that suits my personality.

But now for the one crappy thing… I have to get organized! Got to figure out schedules, dates and hotels. If you know me, you know this is sometimes a struggle. I’ve become pretty good in my job organizing web content (you should see my mad bulleted-list skills) but outside of the job – ha ha – not so much. I cannot make a list to save my life! I never take one grocery shopping; I just wing it and end up walking the store four different ways, and forgetting something. When it comes to things and words, I love order; but as for life and living, it’s much more fun to wing it.

Europe. Boy I got to be on my toes, I just can’t wing it… well I can, but I have to plan it out first. Make sense? No? Ah, whatever.

...where the ladies wear no pants

Next fall I’m travelling to Europe and last week I took the first step of my adventure, I picked up a couple of travel books. Let me tell you, I’m devouring the France one. Trying to figure out the city maps, trains, and sights to see is a daunting task, but an exciting one. I want to experience as much as I can when I get there. I just have to figure out how much I can fit in. There are at least six art galleries that are a must see with gardens, cafes, night life and so on mixed in. And that’s just Paris!

One huge must is finding a piece of art to buy off a street painter. It will hopefully be watercolour, light and airy, and depict Paris or France in a way that will mean something to me, whatever that might be. This will be my souvenir, the one that makes me remember my trip fondly every time I glance upon it.

In the sixties, my grandparents visited Paris and purchased three watercolours off the street. The paintings are of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Champs Elysées (pictured). They now hang in my living room. I love them! They are my favourite pieces in the house. I was honoured to have them handed down to me. I hope the piece I find will be just as beautiful.

La vie est l'art!

If you have a must see for France, I would love to hear it. Let me know by posting a comment.

Frida

Frida Kahlo is one of the greatest artists I have laid eyes on. I didn’t used to think so. I would look at her paintings in art books and think “nice unibrow.” Her paintings didn’t interest me. They were colourful for sure, but otherwise they looked boring and depressing. Seriously, how many self portraits can a person paint?

I changed my opinion awhile ago. I was in Vancouver visiting a friend and on a day she had to work I went to the art gallery. The main exhibit was showcasing the work of three women, Kahlo, Georgia O’Keefe and Emily Carr.

O’Keefe was the reason I went. I love her orchid paintings and wanted to see some in person. Once there though, I was disappointed to discover they only had her adobe paintings.

I was starting to think the exhibit was a bust (never been a fan of Carr) until I ventured into the Kahlo wing. I was struck. I couldn’t look away from her paintings and spent a long time in front of each one. They were all self portraits and the unibrow was still very prominent, but the depth in her gaze was jarring. It made me sad. I didn’t know anything about her life, but looking at those paintings told me that it was not a happy one. To this day, I can still remember the pain I saw on the canvas. To think that something that beautiful could be so painful to look at. All the paintings I saw were similar in that they had the vibrant colours of Mexico surrounding a woman in absolute pain.

I never saw the movie about Kahlo’s life that came out a few years ago. Not sure I want to. Sometimes you don’t need to know everything about a subject. Seeing the movie might ruin the experience I had. For me, watching a biography on an artist is not always necessary as their life is depicted in their work. You just have to look for it. Maybe it’s not the correct version of their life, but it’s the one you imagine.

FAIL

I was a total failure in university and I don’t care.

When I was a child I wanted to be a marine biologist. No joke! This prairie girl wanted to swim in shark cages and help save the whales. I loved the sea, even though I had never been in it. So imagine my elation when UBC accepted me. I was going by myself and was extremely excited.

When I arrived the excitement quickly faded. I was scared. I had never been away from my friends or family. I felt alone. I spent my first week crying before I went to sleep. I missed my parents. I missed my friends. I started to wonder why I left them in the first place. Why would I leave the comfort of home to come to a place where I knew no one? I was homesick.

After that first week, I bucked it up and started to meet people. I just couldn’t keep wallowing in the self pity. Once I set my mind to it, I started meeting people easily. I met so many different types of people and began loving the experience. Everyone was so unique and it was thrilling to get to know them, where they came from, where they wanted to go.

My year there became a life learning experience. It enabled me to open up and see people differently. You could sit and laugh and joke all night or you could get into a rampant debate. Both were good. You found friends that you could rely on, who would help you study (or so I’ve heard) and would understand you when you were missing home.

After that first week, I loved every minute!

University is a blank slate. It’s not even similar to high school. Why is this? Is it because we are all in the same boat; just wanting to connect with others, think for ourselves, have a unique voice that will be heard? In university you are encouraged to have your own opinion, to not let anyone speak for you. It’s refreshing! The experience is like no other for that. It becomes so much more than studying.

Well, I digress, I should be telling you about my failure. I took first year science courses and here’s something not everyone knows… I got 10% in Calculus! Is that even possible you say? Yes. I did that. Not even remotely proud of that number.

I ended my first year of university with horrible grades (failed all but two classes) and a lifetime experience I will never forget. I think of those times often and I wonder what person would I be without that failure? I don’t want to know actually. I might have been a failure at studying for exams, but I found that I was a success at being an independent person who can do things for herself.

I also learned that I will never succeed at everything, but I tried, and sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do. I’m not proud of the waste of my parents money, but if its any consolation, they did pay for a life experience and invested in the person that I would eventually become. I know my mom is proud of that and my dad would have been too.

Everything in life happens for a reason, so the fact that I didn’t continue with my childhood dream was a blessing. If I didn’t fail, I would have stayed at UBC and got a coastal job and probably wouldn’t have been with my dad for the last years of his life. Thinking about this makes me so glad I didn’t become a marine biologist. I wouldn’t give up that time with my dad for anything.

I had a friend tell me recently that he hates failure. But then he changed it to say, “maybe its not failure I hate, but the embarrassment of failure.” How true is that! I fail at something every day. I don’t care when no one sees it, but it is so hard to fail in front of others. Well, here you all go, here’s my failure… I got 10% in Calculus!!! You can’t fail much worse than that. (Oh and 45% my second time around.)

Ah, beach life!

From Saturday, August 22:
Its 6:30 a.m. and I find myself wondering what to do this beautiful morning. It’s sunny and breezy, a great combination.

A morning walk into Gimli is the decision. I put the iPod on, tie the laces tight, and away I go. I find myself enjoying every minute. I love to walk, it's a great way to reflect upon your day (or in this case, plan the day ahead). I walk through Loni Beach and into Gimli, walking as close to the water as I can. I walk to the very end of the Gimli pier.

On my journey back, I pass two teenage boys carrying fishing poles and a small tackle box. It’s nice to see. No electronic gadgets in sight. Just two buddies going to do a little fishing before continuing on their day. It struck me when I saw it. It’s funny, I think you get to an age that when you see kids doing things you did when you were that age, you have to stop, smile and appreciate it. With how quickly things change and evolve in this world it was nice to see that the basics – a good friend, a fishing pole and endless conversation – are still enjoyed.

Life is either a great adventure or nothing

Well, I finally decided to start a blog. This past year I have been thinking off and on about starting one and since becoming a Twitter addict, I think this is just a natural evolution. So here we go… here are my ramblings about life, art and anything else that catches my fancy (in more than 140 characters).

I guess, for those who don’t know, a little about me would be in order. I’m in my thirties; I have a career I enjoy, a house that I love, and friends and family that I adore. Those are my necessities, but there is so much more out there too. I love, love, love art, any kind, it doesn’t matter. If someone has created something, I want to see it, read it, hear it or touch it. I think it’s a sad life to live if you don’t enjoy art, whatever it may be.

I also want to thank two friends who have inspired me. Clancy and Anna have been delighting me with their blogging for some time now. It’s a nice way to get a glimpse of the real them.

So the adventure begins…