Monday, January 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
knock me over, stone cold sober...
I have been keeping a point form list of things to blog about, and it has reached the point where I have to do something about it. Actually it probably reached that point a little while ago, but I haven't found the inspiration to put it into words so this morning I will be going in a type of point form mode of things this week that made me want to blog...
Lemonade: I've been in a fresh squeezed lemonade mode lately. So far I have gone through a dozen lemons. Bethany has these really great tall straight glasses that are the perfect lemonade glasses and so the whole experience is really quite fantastic. I've been playing around with the portions and have found that its my favourite if you add a little SoCo and peach schnapps. I think that will be my new "signature drink". SO good.
Also, I had a craving yesterday for cake with apples in it. So I went to the store and bought the cheapest apples in the place, took a base cake/load recipe, added flavours and sugars I thought would go well and ended up with a pretty good maple vanilla apple cake with a vanilla brown sugar topping. Its nice and light because it doesn't have a lot of flavour, but sort of just... hints of a flavour. I like it.
In Bethany's desire to spraypaint anything she can get her hands on, we now have a new life brought into our magnetic board in the kitchen. Yesterday we spent some time putting all of her fridge magnet poetry words on it. Our friend Dave is the best fridge poet we have ever met....seriously, this guy is GOOD! He comes home from Africa next week and I hope he makes a good poem on our board when he visits.
Karen gave me a David Gray cd (among other things) for my birthday and I have been listening to it pretty much non-stop. It has helped that Beth is completely addicted to it too. Its a "best of" album and in the liner notes, Gray talks about each song and sort of gives a little story about it or how it was written or how it was recorded. I love the song "Be Mine" but he apparently hates it. He hasn't played it live for over 5 years now and says its one of his least favourites. I always think its so interesting to see what pieces artists like compared to what the general public loves.
In other news, my birds have filled the top birdhouse so full of sticks and grass and leaves that they are sticking out of every crack. AND, yesterday when I went out to put crumbs in the feeder, they stayed in the tree flitting around, watching me, until I was finished, which means they're getting used to me. I'm excited about them and seeing them building in my yard makes me ridiculously happy.
there is more to talk about I'm sure, but I did justice to none of the above topics so I will quit here.
Lemonade: I've been in a fresh squeezed lemonade mode lately. So far I have gone through a dozen lemons. Bethany has these really great tall straight glasses that are the perfect lemonade glasses and so the whole experience is really quite fantastic. I've been playing around with the portions and have found that its my favourite if you add a little SoCo and peach schnapps. I think that will be my new "signature drink". SO good.
Also, I had a craving yesterday for cake with apples in it. So I went to the store and bought the cheapest apples in the place, took a base cake/load recipe, added flavours and sugars I thought would go well and ended up with a pretty good maple vanilla apple cake with a vanilla brown sugar topping. Its nice and light because it doesn't have a lot of flavour, but sort of just... hints of a flavour. I like it.
In Bethany's desire to spraypaint anything she can get her hands on, we now have a new life brought into our magnetic board in the kitchen. Yesterday we spent some time putting all of her fridge magnet poetry words on it. Our friend Dave is the best fridge poet we have ever met....seriously, this guy is GOOD! He comes home from Africa next week and I hope he makes a good poem on our board when he visits.
Karen gave me a David Gray cd (among other things) for my birthday and I have been listening to it pretty much non-stop. It has helped that Beth is completely addicted to it too. Its a "best of" album and in the liner notes, Gray talks about each song and sort of gives a little story about it or how it was written or how it was recorded. I love the song "Be Mine" but he apparently hates it. He hasn't played it live for over 5 years now and says its one of his least favourites. I always think its so interesting to see what pieces artists like compared to what the general public loves.
In other news, my birds have filled the top birdhouse so full of sticks and grass and leaves that they are sticking out of every crack. AND, yesterday when I went out to put crumbs in the feeder, they stayed in the tree flitting around, watching me, until I was finished, which means they're getting used to me. I'm excited about them and seeing them building in my yard makes me ridiculously happy.
there is more to talk about I'm sure, but I did justice to none of the above topics so I will quit here.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
girl, you make me want to feel...
It is already Thursday?! How has the week gone by this fast? I don't know. What I do know is that this week has been crammed full of passionate ideas that I cannot put out of my head. I don't know if I can make sense of all these ideas here but I will try to direct you to them in ways that will help you decide about them for yourself...
First of all, I watched one of the BBC's 2006 Planet Earth series yesterday. It as stunning. I can't believe how incredible the world we live in can be. You can read about them here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/planetearth/) and then immediately be won over by them and buy the set here (http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Earth-Complete-BBC-DVD/dp/B000MRAAJW). I can't really say one thing about them that amazed me because it is all so awesome, but I saw the first dvd, and on it, there are these migration scenes of elephants/buffalo/impala, etc. in Africa's dry season. It was so stunning that I couldn't hardly speak or swallow or blink while I watched it. Check them out if you get the chance.
Last night I went to hear Cal DeWitt speak. I've heard great things about his books, though I haven't read them myself - something I plan to soon remedy. You can find them here (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_d/002-2184198-1622434?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Calvin+DeWitt&x=0&y=0) if you want to beat me to it. He spoke on climate change and presented much of the same evidence and disturbing trends we've seen in Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" environmental documentary, but rather than using scare tactics and playing on fear for the future, he delivered his message with amazing hope and joy. I could write so much about what he said but there are two thoughts that have really been swirling around my mind today. First of all, he talked about how to react to these overwhelming, disturbing trends we are seeing in climate change. In one example, he said we should look to the Netherlands as an example. He said that the ocean is rising. This is a fact we all know. What did the Dutch do?? They raised the dikes. They didn't sit around discussing whether it was our fault or a cyclical process or even worse, ignore the fact that the water is rising....they raised the dikes. He went on to use this metaphor as a way to really break down the overwhelming paralysis we are seeing in the face of climate change in a very beautiful lecture. The way he ended it though, really got to me. After giving such a heavy topic a very light perspective, he said, "we will lose species, we will have millions of environmental refugees, we will cause irreparable damage to this world and will forever change to course of our climate, but it will still be a magnificent world and it will not lose its awesome beauty." (i don't want to say i'm quoting him directly, but he did say all these things and fairly close together! haha) He ended by challenging us to live joyfully and full of awe in the face of this changing earth and to mobilize our own lives to make the changes we need to slow this curve of destruction. And, to most importantly, bring the children into nature so that they will love it because, he said, legalism cannot make any headway against these trends. What we need is the passion that comes from defending something we desperately love.
If you have a chance to hear him speak, take it. Also, I think that if you are at all interested in the environment, creation, land, beauty, religion or humanity, you should set out to read his books.
Also, I received the Jan and Feb issues of the National Geographic in my mailbox today and one of them made short mention of these "emerging explorers-tomorrow's storytellers". They're Canadian (from Vancouver) and run this website community called 4REAL.com. Though I haven't had a significant amount of time to look at all their projects, these two guys Sol and Joshua have made a television series with the same name..."4REAL". The television show, 4REAL, is a series of half-hour episodes hosted by Sol Guy that takes celebrity guests (musicians, models, actors, etc.) on adventures around the world to connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are affecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our time. It looks amazing and the way in which they are using art and culture to bring awareness to the triumphs of young leaders in these places is groundbreaking. Anyway, this week, the series airs on CTV. Everyone I know gets CTV and so if you have the chance, you should watch a few of these episode and let me know what you think...I will be watching them as well. The Alberta CTV schedule for these shows can be found at the top of the page here (http://www.4real.com/airschedule.asp). Each of the four episodes they're airing this week will be aired twice, so if you miss it once, check again the next showing.
This week is far from over and I can't wait to see what else will come up, but tonight I am going to a "travel talk" at the local Travel Shop about backpacking around Europe because, over the past few months, Iceland has gone from being a fairly non-existent place in my world to a place of interest to feeling as though it is in my very bloodstream and I am deciding that I have to do something about that.
on a final note...thanks for reading this far, I usually try and keep my blog posts shorter than this, but I also hope you follow some of those links. They're worth your while.
First of all, I watched one of the BBC's 2006 Planet Earth series yesterday. It as stunning. I can't believe how incredible the world we live in can be. You can read about them here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/planetearth/) and then immediately be won over by them and buy the set here (http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Earth-Complete-BBC-DVD/dp/B000MRAAJW). I can't really say one thing about them that amazed me because it is all so awesome, but I saw the first dvd, and on it, there are these migration scenes of elephants/buffalo/impala, etc. in Africa's dry season. It was so stunning that I couldn't hardly speak or swallow or blink while I watched it. Check them out if you get the chance.
Last night I went to hear Cal DeWitt speak. I've heard great things about his books, though I haven't read them myself - something I plan to soon remedy. You can find them here (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_d/002-2184198-1622434?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Calvin+DeWitt&x=0&y=0) if you want to beat me to it. He spoke on climate change and presented much of the same evidence and disturbing trends we've seen in Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" environmental documentary, but rather than using scare tactics and playing on fear for the future, he delivered his message with amazing hope and joy. I could write so much about what he said but there are two thoughts that have really been swirling around my mind today. First of all, he talked about how to react to these overwhelming, disturbing trends we are seeing in climate change. In one example, he said we should look to the Netherlands as an example. He said that the ocean is rising. This is a fact we all know. What did the Dutch do?? They raised the dikes. They didn't sit around discussing whether it was our fault or a cyclical process or even worse, ignore the fact that the water is rising....they raised the dikes. He went on to use this metaphor as a way to really break down the overwhelming paralysis we are seeing in the face of climate change in a very beautiful lecture. The way he ended it though, really got to me. After giving such a heavy topic a very light perspective, he said, "we will lose species, we will have millions of environmental refugees, we will cause irreparable damage to this world and will forever change to course of our climate, but it will still be a magnificent world and it will not lose its awesome beauty." (i don't want to say i'm quoting him directly, but he did say all these things and fairly close together! haha) He ended by challenging us to live joyfully and full of awe in the face of this changing earth and to mobilize our own lives to make the changes we need to slow this curve of destruction. And, to most importantly, bring the children into nature so that they will love it because, he said, legalism cannot make any headway against these trends. What we need is the passion that comes from defending something we desperately love.
If you have a chance to hear him speak, take it. Also, I think that if you are at all interested in the environment, creation, land, beauty, religion or humanity, you should set out to read his books.
Also, I received the Jan and Feb issues of the National Geographic in my mailbox today and one of them made short mention of these "emerging explorers-tomorrow's storytellers". They're Canadian (from Vancouver) and run this website community called 4REAL.com. Though I haven't had a significant amount of time to look at all their projects, these two guys Sol and Joshua have made a television series with the same name..."4REAL". The television show, 4REAL, is a series of half-hour episodes hosted by Sol Guy that takes celebrity guests (musicians, models, actors, etc.) on adventures around the world to connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are affecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our time. It looks amazing and the way in which they are using art and culture to bring awareness to the triumphs of young leaders in these places is groundbreaking. Anyway, this week, the series airs on CTV. Everyone I know gets CTV and so if you have the chance, you should watch a few of these episode and let me know what you think...I will be watching them as well. The Alberta CTV schedule for these shows can be found at the top of the page here (http://www.4real.com/airschedule.asp). Each of the four episodes they're airing this week will be aired twice, so if you miss it once, check again the next showing.
This week is far from over and I can't wait to see what else will come up, but tonight I am going to a "travel talk" at the local Travel Shop about backpacking around Europe because, over the past few months, Iceland has gone from being a fairly non-existent place in my world to a place of interest to feeling as though it is in my very bloodstream and I am deciding that I have to do something about that.
on a final note...thanks for reading this far, I usually try and keep my blog posts shorter than this, but I also hope you follow some of those links. They're worth your while.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
you were my sweetest downfall...
I've been reading The Great Gatsby in bits lately and today I came across this line:
"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."
I want to photograph that.
That exact idea..."moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars"
I have to go to work now, so I cannot write more, but I will soon. Probably tonight. I realize I've been neglecting a good blog post lately, so I will get on that.
"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."
I want to photograph that.
That exact idea..."moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars"
I have to go to work now, so I cannot write more, but I will soon. Probably tonight. I realize I've been neglecting a good blog post lately, so I will get on that.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
amongst the crowd a heart will break and a heart will mend...
I am here! Still here. Despite the craziness of this week and my lack of blogging, I am taking a breathing break to spend some time to put into words some jumbled thoughts from this week. At the moment, I am sitting on my bed, with every movement of my body sending out whiffs of beer. My co-worker put Big Brother on the TVs at work tonight and so, half of the last just of keiths red I poured ended up all over me because I was watching the veto competition instead of the tilt of the spout. great.
That being said, I am overwhelmed with exhaustion and so I will point form some things I have been thinking about and leave them to perhaps expound upon later...
- "You are not our little closet secret anymore" -Jamie at my photography opening
- Angus and Julia Stone are my new favourite musical artists
- What would your parents have been like had they led different lives?
- I really love poetry
- I think I could do great post graduate work in sociology on reality television shows
- 10 years is a very small block of time, but in the next ten years, my life will most likely be drastically changed
- post script to the one above...I want to be able to say that every 10 years
- Bodies need sleep
That being said, I am overwhelmed with exhaustion and so I will point form some things I have been thinking about and leave them to perhaps expound upon later...
- "You are not our little closet secret anymore" -Jamie at my photography opening
- Angus and Julia Stone are my new favourite musical artists
- What would your parents have been like had they led different lives?
- I really love poetry
- I think I could do great post graduate work in sociology on reality television shows
- 10 years is a very small block of time, but in the next ten years, my life will most likely be drastically changed
- post script to the one above...I want to be able to say that every 10 years
- Bodies need sleep
Monday, February 25, 2008
wind in my hair, I feel part of everywhere...
Things I've seen, experienced and appreciated on my 23 birthday...
Eating breakfast with an El Salvadorian family and happily surprising myself with my ability to understand exactly what they were talking about most of the time.
A kind taxi driver with a huge salt and pepper beard and a old corduroy cap advertising a backwoods grill in Oyster Bay.
A man taking his two young kids to the beach for the day on the train, sharing bits and bites snacks while telling them about all the different animals and birds that could be at the beach today.
An old native woman standing before a raging bonfire in the woods, grinning and waving at the train.
An elderly couple walking through airport security together holding hands. When the man went through the woman continued to walk beside him on the other side of the glass until he had found a spot to sit and wait for his flight. She put her hand against the window and said she loved him and to remember that the keys were in his pocket before he blew her a kiss and she walked back to the car.
A road sign that proudly announced "Welcome to Comox...Expect Deer on our Roads!"
Listening to Sufjan Stevens, Eddie Vedder and Broken Social Scene as I sped along tracks cut so narrowly through the coastal forest that evergreen branches reached out and ran along the glass.
Watching other people, people watch when they think no one else is looking.
....As I am not yet home, I'm sure I will have more but I may save them for my next post...
Eating breakfast with an El Salvadorian family and happily surprising myself with my ability to understand exactly what they were talking about most of the time.
A kind taxi driver with a huge salt and pepper beard and a old corduroy cap advertising a backwoods grill in Oyster Bay.
A man taking his two young kids to the beach for the day on the train, sharing bits and bites snacks while telling them about all the different animals and birds that could be at the beach today.
An old native woman standing before a raging bonfire in the woods, grinning and waving at the train.
An elderly couple walking through airport security together holding hands. When the man went through the woman continued to walk beside him on the other side of the glass until he had found a spot to sit and wait for his flight. She put her hand against the window and said she loved him and to remember that the keys were in his pocket before he blew her a kiss and she walked back to the car.
A road sign that proudly announced "Welcome to Comox...Expect Deer on our Roads!"
Listening to Sufjan Stevens, Eddie Vedder and Broken Social Scene as I sped along tracks cut so narrowly through the coastal forest that evergreen branches reached out and ran along the glass.
Watching other people, people watch when they think no one else is looking.
....As I am not yet home, I'm sure I will have more but I may save them for my next post...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
if you could be who you wanted all the time...
I have been thinking about this blog for a while.
Joel has started a new chemistry blog and from what I've seen, is really enjoyable and suits him pretty well. Bethany has been talking about switching blog accounts for some time now because she is unhappy with xanga.
One of Jamie's recent posts (theblogthatismylife.blog.com/2700377/) talks about how she has stuck with her blog for a year now and what that has meant for her. The thing is, when I think about this blog it seems as though I have outgrown it. I started it a few days before I left for Bangladesh and it chronicles my experiences since then. I wasn't planning to continue it once I returned to Canada, but the habit sort of stuck and I love writing my thoughts to this medium. However, "bri in bangladesh" no longer seems to define me.
Reading The Catcher in the Rye today, I came across the passage I've written out in my previous post here today and it started to move something inside my mind that I think will take hold. That being said I've begun a new blog.
*quick disclaimer to bethany: I didn't do this because we joked about it last night, or because everyone else is doing it, or to take the thunder out of the unveiling of your new blog because I am very excited to see it. I just kind of felt like it was time. I know, suspicious timing, but time none-the-less. I hope you are not offended.*
I'm not sure I'm ready for a complete transition, so I've stuck with blogger and you will be able to access both this blog and my new one from now on through my profile: (http://www.blogger.com/profile/00534532930732802181)
I may put new posts up on both sites for a while to ease into the process of moving. My new blog is entitled "gasoline rainbows" (http://gasoline-rainbows.blogspot.com/).
I think "Bri in Bangladesh" was about the big things that test us, "gasoline rainbows" will continue exploring the small things that change us.
I know quite a few of you have been reading my journey thus far, I hope you'll follow me on.
---
On one more strange note, the number 2 has been following me today. This is my 202nd post on this blog, on the 20th of the 2nd month where I wait out the last few days of being 22.
Joel has started a new chemistry blog and from what I've seen, is really enjoyable and suits him pretty well. Bethany has been talking about switching blog accounts for some time now because she is unhappy with xanga.
One of Jamie's recent posts (theblogthatismylife.blog.com/2700377/) talks about how she has stuck with her blog for a year now and what that has meant for her. The thing is, when I think about this blog it seems as though I have outgrown it. I started it a few days before I left for Bangladesh and it chronicles my experiences since then. I wasn't planning to continue it once I returned to Canada, but the habit sort of stuck and I love writing my thoughts to this medium. However, "bri in bangladesh" no longer seems to define me.
Reading The Catcher in the Rye today, I came across the passage I've written out in my previous post here today and it started to move something inside my mind that I think will take hold. That being said I've begun a new blog.
*quick disclaimer to bethany: I didn't do this because we joked about it last night, or because everyone else is doing it, or to take the thunder out of the unveiling of your new blog because I am very excited to see it. I just kind of felt like it was time. I know, suspicious timing, but time none-the-less. I hope you are not offended.*
I'm not sure I'm ready for a complete transition, so I've stuck with blogger and you will be able to access both this blog and my new one from now on through my profile: (http://www.blogger.com/profile/00534532930732802181)
I may put new posts up on both sites for a while to ease into the process of moving. My new blog is entitled "gasoline rainbows" (http://gasoline-rainbows.blogspot.com/).
I think "Bri in Bangladesh" was about the big things that test us, "gasoline rainbows" will continue exploring the small things that change us.
I know quite a few of you have been reading my journey thus far, I hope you'll follow me on.
---
On one more strange note, the number 2 has been following me today. This is my 202nd post on this blog, on the 20th of the 2nd month where I wait out the last few days of being 22.
when there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire...
The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody'd move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and their pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket. Nobody'd be different. They only thing that would be different would be you. Not that you'd be so much older or anything. It wouldn't be that, exactly. You'd just be different, that's all. You'd have an overcoat on this time. Or the kid that was your partner in line last time had got scarlet fever and you'd have a new partner. Or you'd have a substitute taking the class, instead of Miss Aigletinger. Or you'd heard your mother and father having a terrific fight in the bathroom. Or you'd just passed by one of those puddles in the street with gasoline rainbows in them. I mean you'd be different in some way - I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it."
- JD Salinger, "The Catcher in the Rye"
- JD Salinger, "The Catcher in the Rye"
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