Avery on the Airwaves

I have moved this blog!

2011-05-08T08:18:00.001-04:00

I have been blogging for over a year now, though my posting in the last few months has been abismal. Mostly because what I do for a living is radio, and I want to share what I am working on, but Blogspot’s format does not allow for audio posting…. so I have moved formats. Welcome to the continuation of “Avery on the Airwaves” (click HERE to see it) on Tumblr!

I will say this much: I do not know how to move all my blog posts to Tumblr so I am going to do some “best of” posts to my new blog form my this blog.

So please enjoy my new blog… and get ready to remember the old one.

Everything that’s old is new again.

The Sound of Silence

2011-05-01T09:22:00.009-04:00

It's a hefty call to ask a person who talks for a living to say nothing for a whole day, but I did get myself into this didn't I?

And anyways, it was for a good cause but I thought I should take the time to:

1. Plug the cause.... again (I know!).

2. Impart some wisdom on what you learn about yourself when you can't talk for a whole day.

Let's start with number one, because let's be honest here... if I jump right into my day of silence without context you might be confused.

So here's the background: Last Monday I was part of a world-wide event run by Invisible Children to raise awareness about the 25-year long war in Uganda and the use of children (YOUNG children) as soldiers.

Ready for a history lesson (or hopefully a refresher)? Cause here it comes... In the 1980s a man name Joseph Kony took over the Holy Spirit Movement, which was run by a woman who claimed the Holy Spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the Ugandan government for treating her people unjustly. By the hands of Joseph Kony the Holy Spirit Movement became the Lord's Resistance Army or, the LRA. As the LRA lost the support he movement previously had they started abducting children and training them to fight. Now, let's jump forward step. Over the years the presence and violence of the LRA has lead to the displacing of Ugandans from small unprotected villages to refugee camps (with over 1 million refugees still living in camps more than a decade later) and the LRA has been officially been declared a terrorist organization and the International Crime Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Joseph Kony. Peace talks have been established, but to date Joseph Kony has refused to sign the Final Peace Agreement multiple times. So Ugandans and those on the country's border (DR Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic) are left in uncertainty. So that, is where Invisible Children comes in. Their mandate is three-fold: education, economic development and rehabilitation all in hopes of encouraging peace in the region.

And so, we come back to my motives. What bothers me most about the whole situation is the use of children as pawns. I am so lucky to have had a carefree, love-filled childhood. I think the majority of us were blessed with just that. So I find it appalling that in other places in the world there is such disregard for the right of a child to BE A KID. I will say this though, in Journalism School I remember being told once to be careful what we stand for publicly... journalists are meant to be objective observers (at least in public purview). But I think the two causes that I feel most strongly about - the right for children to be free from war and the right of every person to have access to clean water - are no-brainers. These are not controversial issues, these are common sense. With that said, I also believe it is the responsibility of everyone who is able to choose at least one or two important causes to stand up for. These will be mine. And one of the ways I have chosen to support one of those causes was to join Invisible Children's 25 campaign. It's simple: 25 hours of silence to speak out against 25 years of war.

So, I decided not to talk for a day... not to text.... not to e-mail... twitter... facebook... all of it.

And, to make things all the more difficult I spent all day at the mall so that I could give a info card to anyone who spoke to me (much more public than sitting silently at home not answering my phone).

And so, from my experience I would like to share the five things I learned by not talking:

1. I didn't realize how much I talk and sing to myself on a regular basis

2. When you make a conscious effort not to talk, you also often forget to breathe

3. There is no point in visiting friends for a chat when you can't talk

4. Really amazing friends will call you to chat without expecting you to talk back

5. It's hard not to make conversation with my radio when it's tuned to CBC

Most of all what I learned is how productive it feels to stand up for something that you believe in and speak out... sometimes without speaking.

Here is a link to the Invisible Children website if you want to know more:

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

And the URL for my 'thank you' video to those who sponsored me:

I'm Silent...Thanks to YOU!

(music by the lovely and talented Hannah Georgas, "Something For You")

O! Canada... you make me want to dance!

2011-01-29T15:25:00.005-05:00

There is nothing I love more than a jam-packed evening of Canadian music. There is something about homegrown talent that attracts me. In fact, I have to admit that every single concert I have ever been to (with the exception of the Strokes in the early days) has been performed by a Canadian. Joel Plaskett, Lights, Our Lady Peace, even some Avril Lavigne (sorry, world!) were all fine Canadian music experiences.

So, how excited was I to be asked by a friend to see Dragonette live at Starlight in Waterloo last night? Here's a hint... VERY excited. If you don't know who Dragonette is, then here is the short and skinny of it:

Dragonette is Martina Sorbara (funnily enough, the daughter of Vaughn MPP Greg Sorbara), Dan Kurtz and Joel Stouffer. They have been making sweet, sweet music since 2005 and they have this very infectious electro-pop feel. It makes you want to dance like a maniac and stay all night. They are currently jumping their way to the top of the charts with Martin Solveig for the song "Hello". Oh, and fun fact: Martina's first two solo albums in the early 2000s were produced by Jian Ghomeshi from CBC Radio's "Q".

What needs to be said about last night is that Starlight on King Street in Waterloo is now my absolute favourite venue from here on out. It is big enough that there is lots of room to dance, but small enough that you can see the stage, feel the sweat and get really into an intimate performance. The second best part was the opening act Kidstreet. They went on at 8:30 and kept apologizing that they were on so early so no one was drunk enough to dance.... but do things like sobriety keep me from dancing.... most definitely not! I though they were amazing, and so original. A real breath of fresh air. They are actually a family; two brothers and a sister. But, how to explain their music? Can you imagine, if you will, listening to electro-dance music and thinking that it is made by some musical genius behind a computer, contorting and twisting vocals, and upping the tempo? Well they are able to perform on stage in an unimaginable way. They sound completely computerized, but they do it all in front of you.

In any case, there is something about letting loose and dancing to music that is so purely Canadian that it makes you turn all white and red.

And so, to spread the love... here are some Canadian music gems to check out. Listen and then treat yourself to a rousing round of "O! Canada"!

Dragonette

Kidstreet

Beatrice Martin and Bedouin Soundclash's Jay Malinowski teaming up to release an LP in February under the title "Armistice"... for sweet sweet mariachi music, combined with some franco-anglo talent, try some Armistice.

And, of course, you can always count on Chromeo!

Now Playing: The Ladies

2010-12-18T18:56:00.005-05:00

So here is another installment of what is "now playing" on my iPod.
And I wanted to do a nice mix of the ladies I listen to. They are all amazing women, with beautiful songs... so let's just sit back and enjoy!!

one. Erin McCarley - Blue Suitcase

two. Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken
~cute video too!

three. Florence & The Machine - Cosmic Love
~this one is an old favourite. It reminds me of a time in Maine... jumping up and down in the hallway... this song on repeat.

four. Ingrid Michaelson - Mountain and the Sea
~I am sort of hoping for a ukulele for Christmas... and this is one of the first songs I want to play.

five. Cheryl Cole - Parachute
~fun fact: this song was actually written by Ingrid Michaelson! (weird video though...)

six. Laura Jansen - The End

The End...

Filed Under: Everyday Life

2010-12-12T15:41:00.002-05:00

I love the website vimeo.com and I love their 'Everyday Life' section even more. Here are some gems:

THE BEAT OF NEW YORK from tim hahne on Vimeo.

Warm from the oven from Lydia Esler on Vimeo.

And for comedic relief:

Parallel Parking from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

Kick Ass Christmas Gifts

2010-12-12T14:04:00.012-05:00

I'm not going to call this a Christmas wishlist, because generally I don't ask for much... or shove a list of things I want in front of my family and friends... Well, that is with the exception of last year when I desperately needed new glasses and a mouth guard (that's what happens when you have no health insurance and great parents).

So I am going to call this post simply 'Kick Ass Christmas Gifts' and even though I picked them because I love all of them... they would be awesome gifts for lots of people. So take notes...

This is probably the coolest craft book I have come across. This isn't your grandma's craft book.... these aren't Popsicle sticks and white glue crafts.... these are useful, hip (this word never looks cool but I am going to use it) and awesome.
If you put this under the tree it is like 150 gifts... on gift per craft idea.

See more HERE

I dig this back pack.... that is all.
Check it out HERE.

Now I know how some people feel about receiving socks for Christmas... but these socks are different. These are possibly the coolest socks I have ever seen. They have a million different colours too... weird colour variations. I like everything about these... this coming from a person who wears work sock over skinny jeans everyday... so I guess I have to remember my audience.
See more HERE.

This is just hilarious and genius and of course comes from one of my favourite online shops, Mod Cloth. They always have the most amazing things.... like this sandwich coaster set. Imagine your guests could set down their drink on a fresh slice of Wonder Bread, or hey on some lettuce! This would be an awesome gift for that quirky person who loves to entertain... or my dad.

Hungry? See it HERE.

How cool is this? I saw on of these at the mall the other day and I was blown away by how genius it is! They have taken the record player out of the box... or hey out of the coffee table (how are turntables in huge pieces of wood furniture helpful?).
You could easily move this, and easily play some great music. Love it.

Love it more HERE.

Oh! and happy shopping!!

ps... I know I said this isn't a wish list... but this is:

Now Playing: Christmas Playlist

2010-12-11T09:52:00.004-05:00

'Tis the season right? So why shouldn't I fill my iPod with some beautiful Christmas music? Or how 'bout I help you fill your iPod with some seasonal songs?

I just love Christmas. I love making gifts for my friends and family, and I love the time you get to spend with all those you love. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.... like a Snuggie.

So here goes...

I will start it all off with my ABSOLUTE favourite! She & Him.... it is the brainchild of Zooey Deschanel (from 'Elf' and '500 Days of Summer' and M.Ward (a genius musician... look up 'Chinese Translation'). This is there rendition of the 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'

Second is a song I am always playing at the radio station I work for... People are always calling to ask what it is called because it is super adorable. It's Colbie Caillat and it's called 'Mistletoe'.

My love for music with banjo just overflows with this song... love it, live it.... Sufjan Stevens.

This is THE cutest music video that has ever existed... and it is not really a Christmas song but this can also be my winter playlist... this one makes me what to snuggle up with some hot cocoa. It Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah Barielles teaming up for 'Winter Song'.

And lastly, this is always one of my favourites... from a few years ago... Death Cab for Cutie with 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)'.

Happy Winter!

Top 5 Books to Buy for Christmas

2010-12-09T11:30:00.004-05:00

So this morning on the Talk Show with Phil Main I talked about my list of five books that would make great X-mas presents.... so I thought I would post them here as well. I have read some of these, some of them are on my wish list, but they would make great presents.

From the fiction shelf:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The storyline follows a group of black maids and their white ladies. They are maids and nannies in Mississippi in the 1960s. The story takes a turn when one of the "ladies" tries to help the maids.

This is a great book, I actually got it for a Birthday gift and I just flew through it. Buy this book for the lady in your life over 18.

Bonus: The movie is coming out next year starring Emma Stone.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

This story follow Jacob Jankowski, and old man in a nursing home who remembers his time in The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth travelling circus. Great drama ensues when you become embroiled in the plot line.

The best part is that Sara Greun really went to all lengths to make sure that she made the story historically correct in regards to travelling circuses back in the day. She also based the book on the biblical story of Jacob in the Book of Genesis. I just love when authors take their time, work hard, and make a thoughtful, multi-layered book.

Bonus: This is now being made into a movie starring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.

From the Non-Fiction section (my favourite):

They Fight Like Children, They Die Like Children by Romeo Dallaire

I am so excited to get this book, one of my favourite books ever was Dallaire's Shake Hands with the Devil. He was of course the Canadian who was in charge of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Rwanda during the genocide. So now he has come out with this book about his experience with and views on the use of child soldiers. He has made it his personal mission to eradicate the use of child soldiers world wide.

A big plus about Dallaire, he doesn't hold anything back. He says what he sees, what he knows, and what he thinks without fail. He is amazing.

Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela

There have been many books by Nelson Mandela out there but this one is being billed as one to watch for. It draws on an archive of his personal papers in his private life through the years. I have seen it described as "unhindered" and "unprecedented"... plus I love auto-biographies.

Bonus: a foreword by Barack Obama

For the younger folk:

This is super exciting... they have just come out with a new box set of Roald Dahl books. They picked out his top 15 kids books and smashed them all together into a colourful box set for like $40-ish. These are the books that will get kids into reading... for life.

Included in the pack: Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Witches, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... and my fave.... Matilda. This would be an AWESOME gift... even for me. :)

oh... and Merry Christmas!

The Book: The Book Thief

2010-12-09T08:48:00.002-05:00

I am going to go ahead and put this on the list of my best books of the year. It is going to go right up there with The Help and Bel Canto. How do I know this is worthy of that title? To me, books that are really spectacular are the ones that somehow make an impact on you life. Books that you can't stop thinking about months later. Books that teach you things that you retain. Books that change the way you act on a daily basis. And now, I will tell you why this book is all these things...

The Book Thief was published in 2005 and is written by Australian author Markus Zusak. It is set in Nazi Germany, but instead of that same old tale of a Jewish man or woman struggling against the Nazi's (not that these aren't important stories), this book takes WWII and spins it on it's head. It put you right in the action, starting in 1938, with an unconventional German family who struggle with how to react to a war they do not agree with. Leisel Meminger is the main character, she is followed by the narrator, who interestingly is some version of the grim reaper, and she soon becomes what he, almost lovingly, refers to her as "the book thief". She is brought to the Hubermann home as a foster child after her Communist mother drops her off and runs away. From there the book chronicles her life with Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her relationship with a German boy with hair the colour of straw, and a hidden Jewish fist-fighter along the way.

AND THAT, is all I am going to tell you about the plot.

What I will tell you is that this book is absolutely riveting. It is considered by some to be a children's book, more like a young adult read I would say, but still, this is really a book that anyone would enjoy. Markus Zusak takes literary conventions and completely turns them on their head. The most interesting part of this book is that the narrator, or Death, is constantly foreshadowing actions to come or he will just outright tell you what is going to happen before it happens. It is a very unconventional way to write, and it may seem, by just reading this, that it would be confusing... it isn't. Everything is very clear and concise, and at the end of the day once he tells you what is going to happen you cannot help but keep reading long into the night to find out HOW it happens. This is pretty genius I think. It keeps the read moving flawlessly forward, and at the same time the reader is constantly engaged and excited about what will come next.

The second thing that makes this books on of the best on the list yet is poetics. This book is by all standards written like a novel, but the narration is so smooth and often extremely poetic that is helps the reader to reflect on what has happened, and what you know is coming. Whoever thought Death could be to expressive (and I mean Death the narrator, not death itself). Here are a selection of my favourite quotes without giving too much away:

“Upon her arrival, you could still see the bite marks of snow on her hands and the frosty blood on her fingers. Everything about her was undernourished. Wirelike shins. Coat hanger arms. She did not produce it easily, but when it came, she had a starving smile.” pg. 31

"I am haunted by Humans."

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." pg 528

I can elaborate more later, but what I will say is... go out and get this book. Read it, learn from it, and let it take over, because you really can get lost in the world of Death and Leisel Meminger.

Now Playing:

2010-11-28T13:31:00.011-05:00

On this cozy, wintery Sunday I thought I would share my playlist for the day.
I'm thinking that this playlist will show you exactly what kind of mood I am in:

aka. kicking ass and taking names.

First up... Mark Ronson - The Bike Song

Two: Lykke Li - Until We Bleed

3. For the holiday season... THE best X-mas song ever (just imagine me tap dancing to it)

"fore!". An Old School rap throwback... A Tribe Called Quest - Stressed Out

5ive: Just TRY not to bob your head up and down to this one... I dare you... just TRY!
~Midfield General ft. Linda Lewis - Reach Out

666: ...in celebration of new XFactorUK videos up on the internetz... a little
Cheryl Cole - Fight For This Love

VII - and just to bring it full circle today...
more Mark Ronson and the Int'l Business - Bang Bang Bang
~ sidenote: I have had this song on repeat for dayyyyyyys

Love Always,

Ave's iPod

Cupcake Cloud

2010-11-14T10:56:00.003-05:00

I found this delicious cloud!

Everyday Art: Last Minutes with ODEN

2010-11-09T11:39:00.003-05:00

This just proves that everyday, ordinary moments can be documented and made into something beautiful...

Watch this documentary below that recently won "Best Documentary" Award from Vimeo. I am just totally blown away by the pacing, cinematography, and the story. This is what documentary is all about... making us feel something... sharing emotion between people... reflecting together. Documentary doesn't have to be focused on injustice, greed, and theivery, documentary can capture moments that YOU care about, that YOU live everyday. It is these moments that just pass us by, that we think no one else cares about... these moments can be art.

Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.

"Cause Baby You're a FIREWORK"

2010-11-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

I spent this summer covering every community event in the area for the radio station I work for. And, the absolute BEST part of it was the fireworks. Any event big enough has some sort of display of these beautiful, coloured spark-work. So all summer I photographed the displays from various distances and zoom settings... and here is the cream of the crop.

And to whoever invented fireworks? My hat off to you.

*blog title from Katy Perry's song Firework

Have you heard of this?

2010-11-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

(via the Ballerina Project)

I love when people take photography to the next level. Recently I stumbled across something called "The Ballerina Project" and I was just blown away by the composition of the photographs. It is a project that was inspired by the creativity of New York City. All of the photos feature a ballerina, usually in point shoes, against the backdrop of the city. They are very creative, endlessly breathtaking, and in my mind completely genius. Anyone that says ballet is a lost artform obviously hasn't seen this project.

You can find more here. (Tip... be sure to click the "next page" button on the menu bar, it takes you to more pictures.)

Eerie Sky

2010-11-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

I Like Everything About This...

2010-11-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

(via Emerson)

A week in Beautiful Blogs

2010-11-07T09:55:00.000-05:00

I must say that I spend a lot of my self-alloted internet time reading other people's blogs (and sometime becoming very green with envy over their very artistic ventures!).

So I thought: what better than to share!

So here are my top 5 moments from other people's beautiful blogs this week:

Let's start with numero uno:

ONE:

This is a video posted by the cutest husband-wife EVER.

They have a blog called Rockstar Diaries that just makes me smile every time I visit...

Especially this week because they posted this video made by friends of theirs called Postcards from Italy.... so enjoy!

Postcards From Italy from ForYouLoveMe on Vimeo.

TWO:

Okay this is a blog I love, love, love... but the reality is I don't even own an apartment...

So it's all wishful thinking!

It is called Apartment Therapy and they pretty much only post genius ideas for interior decorating.

And here is an idea I just loved:

How genius is that little table.... two words: want it.

THREE:

I am pretty new to this blog: Hollister Hovey

It is more of a "guy blog" than I am used to but it always makes me smile.

It is very earthy and old school... for example this week it presented this gem:

FOUR:

OF all things... one way you could decribe me is "quilt lover".

I love, love, love quilts. And so does Joanna from Cup of Jo.

This week she posted this quilt:

Just look at that beauty of a quilt... not to mention the cute little dog.

and FIVE:

I think this one is pretty self- explanatory... but I will clarify.

Cutest pregnant woman EVER:

It's Diana again from Rockstar Diaries!

I'm sorry if this was too much cute all at once for you!

...until next time...

Scared-E-Cat

2010-10-31T15:22:00.000-04:00

I count myself as a pretty brave person... I can act like a fool on air and I experiment with different foods....but when it comes to Horror flicks I am a 10 year old again, cowering under the bed, and screaming at a decibel that can shatter windows. I can do romances, I can do comedies, I can even do action (as long as there isn't muchh shooting or blood... picky aren't I?), but I cannot, CANNOT, CAN.....NOT do horror films. In my whole life I have seen 3 horror flicks.

1. Psycho: I had to watch it for a film studies class, but my eyes were closed 99% of the time, and I took some pretty un-healthily long bathroom breaks.
2. Carrie: Not so bad until you get to the prom part... let's just say I was reduced to a blubbering idiot.... and the blood.... okay I need to stop here.

AND

3. House of Wax...you know the one where you can watch Paris Hilton die?... if you never saw it or need a reminder, here is the trailer... WARNING: this is a (luke warm) scary trailer

I had to leave the theatre 20 minutes in... and I didn't come back. Lame right? (hey! I am talking about the movie, not me.)

So based on all these facts, you will not be surprised at the fact that when I made a list of the top scariest movies to watch on Facebook, I just took the Internet's word for it (something that is not always encouraged). So here it is, Top Scariest Movies of All Time, according to the internet... aka. Movies Avery Will Never Watch, Ever, Ever, Ever!!!

- The Exorcist
- Halloween
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
- Nightmare on Elm Street
- Night of the Living Dead
- Psycho
- The Shining
- Carrie
- Poltergeist

So get out there... get to the movie store, and rent yourelf a copy of one of these "gems".... just don't invite me along, okay?

This blog post can also be seen on The One website.

A Fable Fit for Everyone.

2010-09-20T14:20:00.001-04:00

The Book: The Alchemist
The Author: Paul Coelho
Pages: 167
Year published: 1988
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So I will start by clarifying why I read this book as part of a list about books in the 21st Century when it was, in fact, published in 1988. What you have to remember about this list I have chosen is that it is chosen "by the people" which is to stay that it does not necessarily follow the rules... or along those lines it doesn't even HAVE any rules. The garnering guideline here comes simply from the title of the list, "The Best Books of the 21st Century". And so, if the 122 people who have voted for The Alchemist were to be ignored, how sad would this "by the people" list be. After all, I wanted to read real books, gritty books, fantasy, fable, and tales... I wanted the people's reads. So, if some readers out there believe that The Alchemist is an important book in the 21st Century, I'm all for it. In fact, I have a feeling this very problem will arise in the future... there seem to be a few books that push beyond the boundary of the 21st Century, and I'm all for it. As long as I am reading good books then I am happy.

Okay, now... The real dirt on The Alchemist. Here is a quick background on the storyline for those of you who have never had the pleasure of reading it:

A young Spanish shepherd boy (who they refer to as "the boy" throughout, but is actually in reality over 18, so a boy-ish man I guess?) named Santiago sets out on an adventure to find a hidden treasure buried near the Pyramids in Egypt. He takes the guidance of a Gypsy woman and a mysterious king and decides to sell his sheep and set out for the Pyramids. He is to follow the "omens" to discover his "Personal Legend" (I will explain what this means later) and on the way Santiago faces love, danger, opportunity and disaster.

To begin, I will say that this book is more a fable than it is a novel. I make that distinction because it does not read like a novel, it reads almost like a parable (if you will), with a prophetic vision, a laboured lesson and an overarching theme that relates to human will and fate. Confused yet? Bare with me, this is my first review of the challenge. Perhaps, it would help if I explained to you the axis of the story, the "Personal Legend". Here is how they explain it in The Alchemist. The boy has just been approached by the mysterious king who says he is trying to help Santiago discover his "Personal Legend", from page 21:

The boy didn't know what a person's "Personal Legend" was.
"It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear, and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their "Personal Legend".

This quote here is the reason I can say I really connected to The Alchemist. Because, as much as it reads a fable there are life lessons woven so intricately into the tale of Santiago that it is almost impossible not to connect with the story. Everyone has their own "Personal Legend", and no matter how much of a pipe dream it may seem, I truly believe where there is a will there is a way. If you push hard enough you can make your dreams come true... unless of course that dream is something like running with the unicorns, or joining Peter Pan's posse of Lost Boys.... because that may just be impossible. Sorry to burst your bubble Pan fans. At the same time if you are reading this book for a story to get lost in you will be disappointed. The message is the medium in this case, the Santiago's story takes a backseat to the message

The one biggest piece of advice I would give a prospective reader of The Alchemist is to find time to sit down and read the book in its entirety. I really enjoyed the story, but putting it down every night and picking it up the next day made the story very disjointed. The time-line moves very fast and it is easy to get lost if you do not remember what you read the day before. I would have enjoyed the reading experience better if I had had the time to sit and read all 150 pages in secession. I would have been able to get lost in Santiago's world.

The Phil Main Show!

2010-09-17T09:50:00.001-04:00

So here's the background... I worked all summer with a radio superstar named Phil Main. I got to spend time with him very rarely but enjoyed our chats immensely when I did. AND NOW, I can enjoy our chats even more because Phil has invited me to have weekly/bimonthly chats with him on-air for The Phil Main Show! And no, I am not just musing about my life and talking about the mindless and boring... I am going to be reviewing books!

I am happy to say Phil and I are Facebook friends (I'm basking in the glory) and this means he got the chance to read my blog about the Best Book of the 21st Century (scroll down a few posts, you'll see it). And now, he has taken my challenge to read 100 of these books to the next level. So now I get to talk about the books on air... I'll tell you if they are worth your time, if they made me cry and if they will make it to my sacred "Books I'll Keep Forever" shelf (I mean something needs to keep company with To Kill A Mockingbird and The Colour Purple!). So on Wednesday Phil Main and I had our very first book chat and I thought I would post it for you all to enjoy! Much, much more where this came from. Stay tuned.

Here is the audio of our chat:

Check out the website for The Phil Main Show, on Monday - Friday from 6am - 10am on CKNX AM 920!

Also: My review of The Alchemist still to come today.

They Save All the Good Stuff for Halloween!

2010-09-16T20:00:00.000-04:00

Every once in while I get that feeling. You know the one... And to be incredibly sexist... that womanly feeling... stick with me here... where you look down at what you are wearing and think, "I need NEW CLOTHES!" It happens to all of us, right? Your pocketbook starts to burn through your purse and you are immediately drawn to the nearest Dress Barn, etc... (Dress Barn was a store I saw in the States and thought "is this real?"... I assure you, it is.)

So, at these moments I do what any smart, young, fashionable and poor twenty-something does: I went to Value Village. The VV Boutique if you will. I just go crazy in this place. It is the place where all the fabulous things get sent... when the fabulous wears off on the original owner. I can stay there for hours and hours on end. I look through every single article of clothing piece by piece. I can race through a rack of t-shirts faster than you can call the fashion police. I pick what I want and I take it to try on.

So to pass on my love for Value Village here are my very best VV shopping tips:

1. Only go to VV when you have a lot of time. Time is what you need for the good finds. Be patient.

2. Go by yourself. There is nothing worse than finding something at the same time as a friend. Then you have to fight over who gets to take it home (usually in that polite "you have it." "no, you have it" kind of way).

3. Always look through the discarded rack at the change rooms. Therefore, someone else can do the searching for you, decide they don't like it and they leave it there free and easy for you.

4. Try it on twice. There is nothing worse than getting home and realizing you spent $4 hard-earned dollars on something you hate. Try it on. Keep shopping. Try it on again. There is something about the light in VV that makes something ridiculous look good. Don't get caught up in this moment.

5. Give yourself a limit. That means don't go crazy. Know how much you want to spend and stick to it. UNLESS, you find that amazing pair of shoes you have always dreamed of (but really, that is every pair isn't it?)

6. Finally, hand sanitizer. You know why.

So now that you sat through my long list of rules I will reward you with a peek at what I bought. You can tell me if you think it's a hit or miss.

I present... The Turban Hat

Now, some of you are going to chuckle at this. But, I know at least one of you who is gasping for air right now... you know who you are. Personally, I think this is the best hat I've ever owned. I did however have a moment of weakness and ask some unassuming lady in the store if I would be crazy to wear this in public, and she said no... but really what else could she have said? So after bullying this poor woman into complimenting my hat I carried it around, tried it on a second time and decided to go for it. Who could blame me? Now, all I have to do is figure out where I am going to wear it. Here's one last look:

After the turban hat, my next purchase seems boring. But, I was super excited for this one too. Mostly, because it feels like it has never been worn, though I am sure it hung in someone's closet for decades. I would like to thank said person for being kind enough to preserve it for me, whoever you are. Here's a look:

I am using my experience in yoga to present this purchase. Warrior stance.... almost. In any case, when I put this shirt on I feel like something right out of a fashionable 1970s tennis match. I am looking forward to wearing this one in. So hit or miss on this one... whaddya think?

Here's what I think: there was no better way to spend $8.

Happy shopping!

Phil Main is the man!

2010-09-15T08:34:00.000-04:00

So, if you are up this early... bright-eyed and bushy-tailed perhaps... you can listen to my friend Phil Main and I talk about the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (*see below). Phil Main will be interviewing me at 9:15 on CKNX am 920 out of Midwestern Ontario. I will post the audio afterwards. BUT, to listen now visit: http://www.am920.ca/ and click "Listen Live".

Happy Listening!

Best Books of the 21st Century

2010-09-07T22:19:00.001-04:00

I will start off by saying how incredibly cliche I feel while preparing for this post. Every blogger on the face of the Internet has tried it. Some fail. Some succeed. Some make a boat-load of cash off of it. I hope to do none of these. I am simply trying to amuse myself, keep my head in the game and my fingers on the keyboard.

So here it is: I am going to try and get through every book on a list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. I figure we have had ten years of great writing and before I get into another 10 years I should explore what has already been done from the Millennium on. But, I was looking for something specific. I did not want a list that was arbitrarily made by some stuck-up English major (not that every English major is stuck up... just the chosen few... you know who you are) who never quite made it to professor level but still wishes to subject us to their high-falutin, strictly "literary genius" taste in books. I wanted the nitty-gritty, the "people-have-spoken", best-book-I-have-ever-read-even-if-it-was-written-by-a-stay-at-home-mom kind of list. I want trashy. I want memoirs. I want so-outrageous-I-can't-stop-reading. I want real people kind of books. I want every-Friday-night-book-club-and-lots-of-wine kind of books. I want to be entertained. I want so-good-every-major-studio-wanted-rights-to-it good.

And so, here is what I have chosen. There is a list on the website www.goodreads.com that list the 847 Best Books of the 21st Century. Good Reads is a website where you can keep track of all the books you've read, send book recommendations to friends or form an online books club. Basically a geek's guide to reading. So, the list is composed of books voted on by readers. This list in fact has been voted on by 2,660 members. I have taken the first chunk of books, the first 100 (because let's be honest, who can conceive of reading 847 books?? This blog would EXPLODE!)

And so, I will read them, enjoy them, and report back on them. I might even muse in retrospect on the books on the list that I have already read. (Is it weird to have memories that go along with books, like where you read it, who gave it to you, how you pictured the characters?)

So here goes:

The-People-Have-Spoken List of the Top 100 Books of the 21st Century

The Kiterunner by Khaled Hosseini
~~The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger~~
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
~~Life of Pi by Yann Martel~~
~~The Road by Cormac McCarthy~~
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
~~Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen~~
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
~~The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd~~
Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safran Foer
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Atonement by Ian McEwan
~~The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold~~
~~The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls~~
~~My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult~~
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon & Lucia Graves
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathon Safran Foer
The Name sake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
~~The Help by Kathryn Stockett~~
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
~~Bel Canto by Ann Patchett~~
~~Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert~~
The Corrections by Jonathon Franzen
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Snow Flow and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson and Reg Keeland
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
What is the What by Dave Eggers
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Freakonomics: A Roque Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
Dress You Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
The Year of Magical Thinkin by Joan Didion
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Naked by David Sedaris
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Eat, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
~~A Million Little Pieces by James Frey~~
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson & Tony Goldwyn
The Secret Magdalene: A Novel by Ki Longfellow
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
~~Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult~~
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
The Shack by William P. Young
John Adams by David McCullough
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens
Dreams of the Ringed Veil by Robert Fanney
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
Marley & Me: Love and Life with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami & Philip Gabriel
Under the Banenr of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Anasi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman
Never Let Me Go by Kazou Ishiguro
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
2666 by Roberto Bolano

I have crossed out the ones I have read already. (Not very many... 13? Sad!)
The only problem I can see ahead is FINALLY being forced to read Harry Potter, Twilight and those Dan Brown books that I have sworn off for years. I'll let you know how much cringing is involved.

Happy Reading!

On Walden Pond

2010-07-13T17:32:00.000-04:00

Photos By: Tegan Moore

For Tegan

2010-06-30T21:23:00.000-04:00

Just thought you would like to know....

2010-06-27T22:19:00.000-04:00

As far as I am concerned coffee is the devil's work. Mostly, because I get sick when I have too much. I guess I wouldn't call it an allergy, more like an aversion... but an aversion that gives me splitting headaches and this gross nauseous feeling. I can have a can of pop, but anymore than that and I'm tapping out. Or, any bit of coffee... or tea for that matter (do you know how hard it is to find GOOD decaf tea?!). However, it's not the taste that is the problem, I LOVE the taste of coffee so I often buy a small decaf (to which most people say... "what a waste of potential caffeine"... to which I say "keep it away!!"). However, the other day methinks my small-regular-decaf from Tim Horton's was in fact.... wait for it.... full-caf! The HORROR! I had a headache all day. And in light of my interest in the topic here is something I came across of a Homeowner's Insurance blog of all things... So enjoy.... 15 Things You Should Know About Caffeine (or to me... 15 Reasons to Hate On Caffeine).

Via: Homeowners Insurance

Chocolate Milk for Everyone!

2010-06-27T20:56:00.000-04:00

The torrential downpour has finally ceased. It rained... no POURED... for about 3 hours straight. The result?

A flowing river of chocolate milk! Er... or at least what looks like chocolate milk! This creek beside my house is usually 6 ft of nothingness and very often a dry old creek bed. BUT, you give it a day of rain and it transforms into a river that even Willy Wonka would be proud of! Rich, cold, flowing CHOCOLATE MILK!!

Okay, so... it's not chocolate milk... it's hardly even safe to drink. In fact, right now it might even come close to something akin to the Ganges because floating in what looks like chocolatey goodness is run off from fields at the top of the hill, and probably all the pesticide a girl could ever hope for. All flowing straight into the beautiful and vast Lake Huron. It's a pity really that all these chemicals flow right into that wonderful source of swimming and kayaking (and I am sure some vital resources that do need seem immediately evident to me). It is also a pity that I can't drink any of it... if it were chocolate milk. I just recently ran out of the chocolatey-good stuff. Shame.

My Barbershop Boys

2010-06-18T22:43:00.002-04:00

I always always kept diaries. Diary after diary filled with anything from watching-paint-dry boredom, to deep and juicy details of my drama-filled days. Problem was I was never able to consistently keep an ongoing diary. I either always felt my musings were useless and dry ("who would want to read this when I'm gone?!") or written at times when there was really too much to say and not enough wrist strength. However, the latter are the times that I know most appreciate looking back at my diaries... so that I can remind myself of the turmoil, and then promise never to get back there.

And so now, I find myself on the border of one of those feelings and something new that has come with blogging. One is akin to that I-mean-really-when-will-this-paint-dry and a new feeling of blogging for craft. And so I will continue on this path typing up blogs somewhere between but hopefully not infringing too strongly on the boarder of that pesky paint.

So I come to today blog, simply titled "My Barbershop Boys", and no... I am not referring to any gentlemen I have come across while getting my hair done. In fact, I am speaking of my fantastic experience documenting the lives, practice and passion of a barbershop quartet. I know what you thinking, "Oh that's that music sung by four old geezer off tune in a bar?" Well, you are only half correct. It is four older (but young at heart) gentlemen, who sometimes sing in bars, but most definitely not off tune. Once, upon hearing that I had chosen barbershop as one of my two documentaries to work on in the States, a woman cringed, "Barbershop quartet music sounds like fingernails down a chalkboard to me!" I consoled her while at the same time explaining that the problem was, she had never heard MY barbershop guys sing (how easily I decided they were "mine"!). But really it is 100% true. They are such a pleasure to listen to, which made the hours of practice I sat in on, and a 4 1/2 hour trip from Portland, ME to Danbury, Connecticut (or "Nowhere, Connecticut" ... sorry Connecticut-ites!) totally hands down worth it. What was even better, was when they came to our gallery opening to view the pictures the wonderful photographer I was working with took, see our multimedia piece and listen to my radio documentary. I was so honoured that they all came. Walt (lead singer) even brought me flowers. It made my months of being a tried and tested barbershop band-aid worth it. They seemed to really love everything about what we did, which gives enormous relief to the moment of panic when they first sit down at a computer and put the headphones on (to listen to a piece you have poured you heart and soul into, which they have also never heard). And get this, they sort of glowed... they smiled and exchanged glances and then gave me great big hugs. I almost cried, really, I mean it sound corny but how emotional for all of us. It made it so I really didn't care if the piece ever played on the radio, or if no one else liked it, because they loved it. And THEN, to top it all off the sweethearts went off and sang for everyone at the gallery opening... singing is something they do any chance they get! But everyone got it, they saw what I see, and they applauded and applauded and I felt so proud of my barbershop boys. They put heart, sweat and tears (literally) into their craft, we can all only hope that we have a craft we all love just as much.

From left to right: Jack (a 74-year-old minx of a man), Jim (the kindest blue eyes you've ever seen), Me, Maura (one of the best photogs I know), Walt (THE gentlemen's gentlemen), and Fred (the "serious" lawyer who can be reduced to tears with a good harmony).
All together they make Port City Sound (+ band-aids).

2 Days in Sunsets

2010-05-27T20:11:00.000-04:00

So I have officially begun my summer adventure! I survived the long drive home from Maine (via Boston and Burlington, VT) and I am working on settling into the next three months here in Kincardine. I am working at a local commercial radio station as the summer cruiser girl (of Queen of Summer Fun, if that sounds more snappy!). I am heading to all the big summer events in Midwestern, Ontario to give out free stuff, report back to the station and spread the summer fun (do you think they have gotten to me yet?). I am really excited to be here. Especially on the beach. In the past few years I haven't been able to get to the cottage that much because of summer jobs. Solution: find a summer job at the cottage! Why didn't I think of that before. I am anxiously awaiting my summer roommate and I can't wait for the fun in the sun to begin.

Today I voiced my first promo for the radio station. I have to change gears a little bit because the past four months have been training to be an NPR announcer (for those of you Canadians who don't have the NPR iphone app, basically NPR announcers sound like they are so bored they could fall asleep in their lunch plate). So today I had to pump it up a little bit so that you could "hear my smile". The producer told me to put my joker smile on and sound FUN! And should the "Queen of Summer Fun" do anything less?

But the BEST part is... did I mention the best part?

Surprise!!! It's the sunsets! I keep telling people it is the second best sunset in the world (a highly un-sourced factoid that has spread it's way around the shores of the Bruce Peninsula that can really not be proven... except in our hearts... and with pictures!!) I have taken shots of the sun's glorious descent into the watery horizon both nights I have been here and it has been SPECTACULAR! Tuesday night was amazing, followed by a phenomenal Wednesday night.

Here's a look at Tuesday night:

AND THEN: Wednesday night! Gorgeous!

Jealous yet?

Love, your very recently certified full G driver.... just thought you should know.

My Favourite Salad

2010-05-14T14:23:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce you to my absolutely favourite salad... which doesn't have a name... yet. This is always my go-to salad for... well... anything. AND because of that I have been waiting all winter for blackberry season. The blackberries I bought at Whole Foods were from Mexico, so not quite blackberry season in North America, but my mouth watered at the sight of them and they jumped into my basket all by themselves. It wasn't my fault... really. So here it is, and short directions... let's call it "The Delicious, Mouthwatering, Blackberry Walnut Salad Extravaganza!" Here is a picture of the mini sized salad I made for lunch today!

Recipe (If you can call something this easy a "recipe")

Fill a salad bowl with spinach
Top with: one case of blackberries,
two handfuls of walnuts (organic? mmm),
as much goat cheese as you can handle
(I used the three citrus goat cheese the make at Whole Foods... yummy!)

For the dressing:
mix equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar
add 2 tsp. of grainy mustard
and honey to taste (so it will be sweet!)

Just beware of staring at it for too long. Or else you will end up like me, with my face an inch from the leaves, staring... not eating. BE WARNED.

Bon Appetit!

Life Unfiltered

2010-05-12T10:51:00.000-04:00

This is the flyer for our show next Thursday... A week and a day from today! SCARY! TERRIFYING! but... welcome. We have all worked so hard to get here and we finally get to show the world what we've got. My pieces are all but done, a few tweaks here and there should do it.

I walked in just now and all the photographers were putting their images in frames... made it more real. I think the saddest part is I am going to have to say good bye to all the pesky documentarian friends. I have offered an open invitation to Canada though, so hopefully at some point they will take me up on it.

But until then it is work work work. The winds of time are blowing at hurricane speed. Better hold on tight!

Aside: The photo on the front is by my very talented photog friend Madeleine... who appeared in the hula hoop video. She has been documenting the life of an 18 year old exotic dancer and she snapped this ridiculous photo.

My New Room

2010-05-11T19:37:00.001-04:00

This would be amazing!

OR this!

In my dreams!

Powered By Laughter

2010-05-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

For your viewing pleasure, here is the video of my promo for our gallery opening at Salt. It will play all that day outside the building on a big screen TV. The quality gets downgraded when you upload it to youtube, so it looks better on my computer! But, with no further ado... enjoy!

Gimme Gimme

2010-05-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

I am quickly compiling a list of instruments I want to learn how to play. I've got banjo and flute and now.... KALIMBA! I was searching for music to use for my second documentary (promo to come) and I came across kalimba music. Previously I had referred to it as thumb piano, but now it has a real name! Here is a video to show you what I mean... this guy is pretty magical.

(warning: don't expect a kalimba concert from me anytime soon... my track record with learning to play musical instruments is fair to poor. I was born without any sense of rhythm... at all.)

Hula-palooza

2010-05-06T13:54:00.001-04:00

This is how I spend the time when I should be editing audio:

You may write me down in history...

2010-04-24T16:44:00.000-04:00

I have listened to Maya Angelou read this poem about 15 times today. I am trying to find a way to work it into my story about laughter. Confused? Wait 2 weeks and you can hear it... But, for now, all I can offer is the video I took the recording from, for a little weekend poetry boost for whoever is listening.

A Search for Colour (Color)

2010-04-22T12:03:00.000-04:00

I have spent the past week trying to keep my eyes open to new photo opportunities and this week I have been focusing on colour. Colour that occurs naturally or human-created. Either way... colour that pops and stands out. I tried to get a picture with every colour of the rainbow from around downtown Portland. So here is what I have come up with (in chromatic order):

Red.

Pink.

Peach.

Yellow.

Green.

Turquoise.

Blue.

Purple.

There is so much colour everywhere, how could you not photograph it. And, I am always looking to do something that does not include sitting in front of my own desktop blazing sun. I am really enjoying trying new things with my camera, and I can't wait until I can get an even better one. Start Saving!

Bleary-eyed

2010-04-17T14:52:00.001-04:00

My eyes are bleary. I cannot decide whether they are constantly bloodshot because of the salty ocean air, or the amount of time I spend in front of my school iMac. There is something about these iMacs, they have a blazing brightness that burns the retinas. Even at the lowest brightness setting this screen is like looking straight into the sun. Avert your eyes. I have this feeling that people of the LCD screen generation are going to wake up one morning 20 years from now and realize collectively that they have ruined their eyes. To be perfectly honest, I fear I am probably one of these people with fated poor vision. Mostly because no matter how hard I try to fight it I spend most of the day looking at this screen:

This is what a radio documentary LOOKS like. Welcome to the world of ProTools audio editing! A world that sucks you in and makes time disappear. Once the interviewing stops, the editing begins... and it keeps going. On and on and on. This is my fourth version of this documentary. Fourth, because every time I put it together I am seemingly missing something. Always missing something. I just can't seem to figure out what that "something" is. If you look closely you can see a little yellow diamond that marks this session as "FINAL COPY". Well... it isn't. I write FINAL on every copy... always hoping that one day it WILL be the final copy. But, fifth version here I come, bleary-eyed and all.

A Wednesday Surprise

2010-04-07T19:47:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when you keep your eye straight and your feet moving, you miss really beautiful moments.

This happened to me today. I was walking to school, like I do every morning. I take the same route every time... to get me to the post office. It's always eyes straight, steps quick. I often don't take the time to stop and see what is around me.

But today, oh today was different. I looked around and walked in zigzags and found THIS:

Look around more. And watch where you step! You don't want to crush the beautiful things with heavy boots.

Ode to a Beautiful Weekend

2010-04-05T19:08:00.000-04:00

A fruity Easter morning mimosa at Local 188

Some noon-time sailors get a view of some kites flying across the harbour

Triangular shadows in some rock on the Eastern Promenade

More midday sailing

View from the beach on the Eastern Prom.

The year's first run of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railway Car

Pretty, right? (This is the water treatment plant!)

Some shots of an abandoned railway bridge through some graffiti-ed fence

Low tide on the Back Cove

Spring's first peek

One of Portland's mutant sized seagulls and his garbage truck feast

The view from a harbour side Easter pizza feast... much better than the garbage feast

The Levity Project

2010-03-31T11:13:00.001-04:00

So my second story at Salt looks like it is going to be on a wonderful woman named Katie West. She is the founder of what she called The Levity Institute. She is a life coach, and a laughter yoga instructor and a joy-spreader extraordinaire!

She asked me the other day how she might get more hits of her newest video put together from her car-dancing-micro-movement. And so I thought I might help her get at least 8 more hits from my blog!

She asked participants of her project to take a video of them rocking out in their cars, and she had a swell of videos come her way. Just a little video to make you smile today!

A Bowling Photo Blog

2010-03-28T11:02:00.000-04:00

So here was my first shot at photographing moving subjects... aka. people.
We went out last night for a good old fashioned bowling pizza Birthday party. We went to candlestick a bowling alley, a "New England thing" I'm told. There is a lot of blurry pictures but that is because we are all lightning fast bowlers! Enjoy!

Sarah

Madeleine

Bradley

Me

Emily

Andy

Adam

Bradley & I

Hand-made Pizza Break!

The End.

Warning: Tears may ensue

2010-03-22T18:55:00.000-04:00

I don't usually post two things in one day... in fact I don't usually post two things in one week. BUT, I really just felt like you needed to see this. ("You" is broad because I really don't actually know who is reading this, other than the people who have to!)

This is a multimedia piece done by a Salt alum named Maisie Crow (yes, that is her real name). She did some great work when she was here, and even better work after she left. She is a perfect example of a documentarian who does it all themselves. She shoots video, takes photos, interviews and collects sounds. And somehow she edits it together into genius. I only wish one day I can do what she does.

It is beautiful, and touching and heartbreaking. But she does it gently. With respect.

Here is the link: (If you cry... at least I warned you)

A Life Alone by Maisie Crow

For the first time ever...

2010-03-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

Today is a historic day in the world of Avery. It is the first time I have taken money out of the bank machine since I've been here, and the amount taken out of my account was exactly the same amount in US dollars. You cannot imagine my excitement. I feel somewhat validated. It means for a short time, the price of everything is the same in Canadian dollars. It means I can stop calculating in my head what the real price of every item is in Canadian dollars. It also means it probably won't last too long. But for now... it is almost like I am in Canada! (except there are American flags everywhere, overpriced food, and you need a car to get to a Tim Horton's).

In other news, I am short for inspiration on a blog post. Mostly because I mistakenly reformatted my camera's memory card. The good news is I had already uploaded a lot of the important pictures to my computer. But all my pictures of my trip to Danbury are gone. The beautiful pictures of Nowhere, Connecticut (not a real town, just a feeling) have been wiped away. The picture of the large cast iron dog statue on the side of the road in New Hampshire. And the adorable pictures of my photographer's niece and nephew in Rhode Island... gone.
I am not too upset about it... I can always take more pictures... and the ones I had anyway were gray and depressing. Connecticut didn't turn out to be the beautiful place I remember from Gilmore Girls. But, then again, I also hardly left the highway. Rhode Island though, was beautiful and I only got about 20 minutes in.

However, the trip was totally worth it. We got to see the barbershop quartet we are following perform for the first time. In tuxedos and bow ties and the whole nine yards. All they were missing were top hats and canes. They really did a great job. And I got some great tape (Radio fact: we call capturing awesome moments in radio "getting great tape" even though we don't use tapes anymore. Not even close.)

And, in an effort to leave you at least something to look at... here is a poster that is up on the wall in Radio B (I live in Radio A) that I like. Seems to say it all...

If they had bumper stickers like this... I would put one on my car! ...If I had a car...

L.L.Bean University

2010-03-18T15:54:00.000-04:00

I spent some time on the weekend up in the mid coast of Maine. I was in Hallowell, which is only an hour's drive (all made possible by the use of Kelly's car...Old Bessie -- I think I am the only one that calls her that) north of Portland. It sits right on the shores of the Kennebec River... which I took a photo of... and I apologize that it doesn't show you how beautiful it is... It was a pretty gross day.It was also the first time since I have been in the great America that I have come across a sign written in both English AND French. (I guess for some reason I never thought about Spanish being the other language here.) But, upon seeing this sign I had a great sense of pride... even though all the French I can muster is to read the ingredients on the side of a box. In any case, It was great to see a sign, meant for Canadian to read! And I did!

I was up in Hallowell to interview Jim, a member of the barbershop quartet I am documenting. He had a cozy little house on the top of the steepest hill I have ever driven up. I was afraid Old Bessie wouldn't make it. She always seems to pull through in the clutch (I hope I am using this term right... I never got into sports journalism). We did an interview, and his wife Karen made blueberry muffins, and we talked about the state of radio. And of course they named all the names of Canadians I should know. It was really nice.

On my way back to the great little peninsula I stopped in at the original L.L.Bean store. How could I not? It was noontime when I arrived, but had it been twelve hours later my experience would have been the same. It's open 24 hours! I presume, just in case every once in a while someone wakes up in the middle of the night before a camping trip and remembers all the supplies they forget to get. Or, a rainstorm hits at 2am and the roof falls in and you really really feel the need for a new Goretex rain jacket to put yourself back to sleep. Or you just HAD to see that giant rain boot one. more. time. Too literal?

The place is filled with wildlife... mostly stuffed. But there is a trout pond and a salmon aquarium. They advertise on TV about this piece of "moose artwork" that every MUST see. Apparently, they found these two moose who had been fighting and got their antlers stuck together and died in the process. So obviously L.L.Bean had to preserve it and put it on display. A taxidermist's dream... or maybe nightmare. In any case, it is apparently a very rare find, and I have to admit, one of the attractions that pulled me off the highway into Freeport, Maine.

I cannot really impress on you how big this store is... stores I should say, because it is a campus of L.L. Bean buildings. They really do overshadow the rest of Freeport's outlet shopping district. There are whole buildings devoted to Home and Garden, Bikes and Boats, Hunting and Fishing, and Retail. It is way to much to take in all at once. It is more like a day out than a stop in.

I must add this link because today Bradley (who is in my radio class) and I were commenting on the validity of this idea. L.L.Bean has come out with a Signature line. (click on the link) It seems to me to be a ploy to take the Maine out of the L.L.Bean. No lobster man would ever wear this stuff... I would... but that is against the point. At this point my mom has probably already found 3 things on the site for her wish list. The sense that I get from people around here is that Maine people wear L.L.Bean. Outside of Maine, the only people who wear it are the kind of people who have yachts (according to the friend to my right). I guess they are just trying to appeal to their new generation of customers... the ones that don't live in this state.

Sorry about the sarcasm today, I am under the weather... it changes blogging.

This is Avery and Old Bessie signing out!

A Photoblog of Yesterday

2010-03-08T10:41:00.000-05:00

Date: Sunday, March 7th, 2010
Place: Portland, Waterfront
Weather: Sunny, Blue Skies, 54 F (12 C)

A Little Olympic Spirit

2010-03-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

THE INSPIRATION:

I bought this old pair of speed skates in Portland at the Good Cause Thrift Store. They came to a total of $6 US> That seems cheap, yet it took me 4 visits to the store to decide whether I could pay such a lofty price. But, they fit me perfectly, and they came with a 'pocket sharpener' so how could I even deny myself?

In any case, they became the inspiration for my weekend adventure... TRY SPEED SKATING! Turns out, the Great Atlantic Speed Skating Club in Falmouth, Maine holds this event twice a year. And the winter session just happened to be yesterday!

So... I rounded up the brave troops!

L - R: Cassidy of Tennessee, Me, Emily of Michigan, and Sarah of Montana

We may look like professionals, but believe me there were some shaky starts, and some crash landings. We had a little lesson first and then we moved on to skating in a line... and then we had to trade in our skates. Just a short jaunt on the long blades. But, not surprisingly, it was really fun! I think we all feel like we need to try it again soon.

However, before we go back we need to work on our form! They taught us the "tuck" position, which essentially means that your torso is parallel to the ice and your behind is tucked in. (You're not allowed to "Moon your mama" as our instructor said, you have to always be tucked in!) So essentially, you are hunched over, holding yourself together with your ab muscles... AND THEN you have to skate! Imagine! So suffice it to say that some very odd muscles hurt this morning. I would like to think that I have finally found a sport that does not frown on my poor posture!

Look at me go!

Overall, it was a great experience! It was an awesome sport that I definitely want to continue learning... kudos to my dad for always telling me I should do it, and shame on me for always saying "no way!"

Here are some other actions shots:

Our weapons!

Somehow the girl from the South has the best form!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, crunch down girl! (bad form) Emily is about to exemplify how easy it is to get DQ'd in speed skating, a simple touch and you're outta there!

Emily and Sarah channel Apolo Ohno intensity.

(If you don't know Apolo Ohno, he is an American hero of sorts. He appeared on Dancing with the Stars, and is best known for his signature soul patch beneath his bottom lip, or, of course is eight Olympic medals... you choose.)

It was great to get out there on the ice, while things continue to melt down here in Portland downtown. Not one piece of snow!

We ended the say with a warm and tasty breakfast from Becky's Diner (Nothin' Finah!). Mmm... Maine blueberry pancakes!

The Best Photo (I have taken yet)

2010-02-23T21:13:00.001-05:00

Before I arrived here in Maine I bought myself my first real camera: a little Canon Powershot with 10X Optical zoom (I only pretend I know everything it does). It has been the little-camera-that-could, which has supplied the visual stimulation for this blog.

I thought I would just share with you an awesome picture of an awesome kid. His name is Harry and he is the most acrobatic, high-flying, SpongeBob Squarepants I have ever met. With enough enthusiasm to float a boat (if boats floated on enthusiasm).

* Shout out to Andy (on the left) ... who jumped ALMOST as high

Thank your lucky stars

2010-02-23T20:25:00.001-05:00

I would like to preface by saying that I am not naive enough to think that our health care system in Canada is pristine, but I will say that we seem a lot better off than the US at this point in time.

Last night I attended a public hearing with my new friend Bob (fiery, wheelchair bound and the "best liberal you will ever meet"). The hearing was before the insurance board ombudswoman of sorts. In short, without getting into any specific detail or complicated pie charts, the largest insurance provider in Maine is called Anthem(Blue Cross Blue Shield). Anthem is required by the state of Maine to provide a certain amount of residents with he lowest rung of health insurance. This, I assume, is to ensure that most people can afford at least some kind of health care, even if it is only catastrophic. However, in recent years Anthem has been losing money by providing this mandatory coverage to a little under 12,000 Maine residents. So, in an attempt to boost profit, they asked the State of Maine to allow them to raise rates by 18%. Maine, short and skinny, told them plainly that they are not in the business of ensuring that businesses make a profit and therefore settled to only allow an increase of 10.9% in order for Anthem to break even. Anthem, in return is suing the state or the ability to raise rates by 22.9%. So the insurance superintendent Mila Kofman is holding public comment sessions around the state in order to take into account the testimonials of "Maineahs".

So... that is what gets me here, blogging about the testimonials. To say that it wasn't affecting would be an understatement. The bravery people exuded by getting up and telling their often very difficult stories about not being able to afford the care they need to get by was mind boggling. I can not say for sure that I understand the whole issue, or that I side with a specific argument, but I can say for certain I felt real lucky that I come from a place where I don't have to sit at home suffering from a painful and feverish allergic reaction because I know that I cannot afford to go to the emergency room... again. Or lucky that at the age of 77 I don't have to support two disabled adult children, of which I have to choose which one I can afford to buy insurance for and which one goes without. Real world Sophie's Choice.

I can only say that after listening to almost 3 hours of personal testimonial I feel absolutely spoiled that I have never had to worry about any of these things. One woman, very humorously and very succinctly phrased her comparison of Canada and America, she said she saw a parallel between the health care and the Olympics. In America the coverage of the Olympics is dismal, you can watch a hour or two a night and all you get is a 20 minute recap in the morning. Not only, she said, would you get 24 hour coverage of the Olympics in Canada, but you would also have health care coverage. I didn't word that quite as humourously as she did... but you get the point.

Tie Olympics and health care together though, and all I have left to say at the end of the day is, "Oh, Canada!"

Ice Fishing UPDATE!

2010-02-18T22:30:00.001-05:00

I just thought y'all would like to see the only fish I saw while ice fishing.

Now, don't let my tricky camera skills fool you. This fish is about the size of my thumb. Great catch right? I can't take the credit for this catch though. The poor soul was left on ice until the eagles were ready for lunch. Yummy!

I've named him Herbie.

A Maine Adventure!

2010-02-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

I know that it is now Wednesday and I am about to talk about what I did on Saturday. I guess this is the nature of blogging when you're busy!

In any case, our first assignment for Salt was called a "Mini-Ethnography" multimedia project. We were put into groups (one photographer, one writer, one radio producer) and sent out into a drawn out bubble on a map of Maine. Our professors decided where we could find stories and we decided what our stories would be.

We found ourselves driving through Bridgton, Maine early Saturday morning... tired and groggy unsure of what the day would bring. We drove through town for a while and finally found ourselves at the end of a dirt road staring out at this:

It was a beautiful, clear-sky day, not too chilly and purrrrrrfect for ice fishing (which seems to me to be less about catching fish and more about what you do while waiting for fish!) So we spent some time waiting for the elusive "big catch" with 5 local boys who seemed glad to have the company. They answered all our questions and gritted their teeth through all the photos. We had lots of fun chatting with them too. One guy, named Adam, seemed to love pointing out every time I said "eh". At least someone gets a kick out of it.

The scariest part of ice fishing in the sun is the cracking sound in the ice. We were standing about 20 feet from open water which made the deep cracking sound even more disconcerting. But as one of the guys said "That's not the ice breaking, that's the ice making." Yet, I'm not sure I believe that. I did however add to the cracking myself with some old-school ice fishing action by chipping a new hole into the 15 inch ice.

Gotta love the action shots. What did I learn form this experience? ... The best way to warm up on the ice is to chip a hole through it.

Once we were too cold to report any longer we switched to the polar opposite (sorry... bad joke) of ice fishing...

PING PONG!!

Before we begin here I would just like to say for the record, surprisingly I am a really good ping pong player! Yeah, I'll take you on!

We found the world's friendliest group of ping pong players in the Bridgton community centre. I think I am good at ping pong? Well, these guys are great! One of the players was even the state champion for over 65! And what a nice guy! Nicest of all was Bill, who answered every single question I had and THEN taught me some invaluable lessons about ping pong. It is easy to think you are good when someone keeps telling you so. He wanted me to come back this week... but Bridgton is about 40 miles from Portland... and that's a long walk!

Here I am in action!

Fierce right?

So I guess I can add ice fisherwoman and pingponger to my resume. Do you think that will get me a radio job?

My Sneaky Little Valentine.

2010-02-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I would like to share with you a little piece of my day of love here in Portland. Every Valentine's morning for over 25 years a strange thing happens. Every storefront, window and doorway in downtown Portland has a bright red heart taped to it. A sneaky character, or band of characters, attacks the city sometime in the night with their little signs of love. No one seems to know who the caper is, and no one seems especially determined to find out. He/she/it is lovingly referred to as "The Valentine Phantom", or "The Valentine Bandit" according to the Portland TV News team. Here are a few pictures I took this morning... the only thing you can't see are the smiling faces of each and every Portland resident.

This was the first heart I saw, stepping out my front door... it was across the street and I ran back to get my camera... and thank goodness I did!

There were also many hearts drawn in chalk around the town, I can only assume that this as well is the work of the Phantom.

The Phantom also saved a spot in his heart for Salt! What he doesn't know is that inside this building there is more heart than any other storefront in town! And he must have known what he was doing because he also put a little bit of love right about 'DOCUMENTARY'! Just like all of us Saltines (Salt students... sometimes "Salties" is more appropriate, but I would rather sound like a snack!)

These little white paper hearts also fluttered down Congress Street. Some might say it is littering, but I say it was beautiful, especially on a lightly windy day.

However, most exciting and mysterious is the Phantom's pièce de résistance two storey high huge heart banners on the Portland Museum of Art and new this year, the Portland Public Library. No one knows how they get there, or how he or she gets onto the roofs, but here they stands...

The Valentine Phantom has made this year's celebration one I won't soon forget. What a wonderful tradition (est. 1976)!

The best part is, it seems that this is not a caper that needs to be caught!

A Fish and Some History Dish

2010-02-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

I spent my first full day at school today. And not even in class! We had an assignment to blog for the school's website for tomorrow. So, for the first time I got to sit down at my own personal iMac and OFFICIALLY represent Salt. (I realize it is a silly concept to give a link on my blog to yet another blog I write for... but no matter... click here for the Salt blog)
After I sat down at the shiny wide screen I basically spent the whole day searching for ever more story ideas, and I was actually a lot more productive than I have been from home. However, Salt can also be very distracting. There are so many people to talk to, so many unique brains to pick, stories to hear, and friends to make. The act of simply going to the kitchen to get an apple out of the fridge could lead to a 45 minute-long discussion of interview tactics learned in Sudan or long distance relationships through the ages (LDR's I am told they are called) or that one joke that always sticks with you, that you can never forget. A guy named Tom shared this as his joke of choice: What is a seamonster's favourite meal? ... Fish and Ships!

Here is a short audio clip of my 90-year-old grandmother's favourite joke... always a crowd pleaser!

(I apologize for the poor audio quality... I know what you're thinking, "She is studying radio and she can't even record properly!"... but alas, I was recording on my iPhone, so you take what you can get!)

Short note on Portland history:

For all you history nuts who I am sure having been waiting with bated breath for the valiant story of George Cleeve (aforementioned here) , I have done a little research!

George Cleeve (1586 - sometime after 1666) was the "Founder of Portland, Maine". He came across the pond and settled the now Portland in 1633. In fact, he landed on Richmond Island where John Winter, an agent for merchants in Plymouth (as in the Rock) had set himself up with a pretty sweet deal trading fish and fur with the Native Americans. So when Cleeve tried to move to Richmond Island Winter immediately set him northward, to the thick forests of the mid coast. Cleeve built a house on the land and declared the settlement "Falmouth" (which still exists as a northern suburb) later to be called "Portland".

No word yet on how exactly he relied on the persuasion of words...

From: My Mind, To: Reality (A mash up of story ideas)

2010-02-07T11:38:00.000-05:00

Surprisingly, one of the most difficult parts of journalism is actually coming up with story ideas... not just any story idea, but stories that you actually care about. I can spend days, literally FULL days, consecutively, looking for story ideas. I look on the internet, on poster boards, in stores, on the streets, I look everywhere! In a way, sometimes... in that tick, tick, tick moment a journalist's brain has (that one when you are straight set on finding something good) you can lose a little sense of reality. You become so focused on whether every part of life around you could work as a story that you forget you are, in fact, part of real life.

My story idea secret (I guess it won't be secret anymore) is to look at blogs. Over the years I have sifted through hundreds and hundreds of blogs looking for that interesting character that has a story to tell. And, I have been doing just that in Maine. I think I have bookmarked over 25 Maine-based blogs. Actually, a bunch of them would make really good stories. I'll run them by you: A woman in Northern Maine who speaks to and does the work of angels, a German woman who lives in Maine and teaches West African drumming, and a Maine girl who blogs about her paranormal investigations. The way I see it is, if there is a person out there who has a really interesting story they want to tell... they will blog about it. Some people really just lay everything on the line, or online I guess.

I had a moment today, that I must admit I am not proud of, but in the interest of full story-finding disclosure, I will share. About 45 blogs in I came across a blog entry by a woman in rural Maine informing her followers that she just lost her husband of 45 years, in her own arms... and for a brief second, in my story-ideas-are-most-important mindset, I thought, "I wonder if I could make a story out of that?" For a brief shameful second, I had lost my touch with real life, blogger after blogger become faceless writings by imaginary people. Until you have that moment, where you snap back into reality and see a real person. I think it is a lesson for every journalist to learn at some point: stories may be the goal, but in every story idea you are seeing into the lives of real people. Sometimes you lose the real people in the story. You have deadlines, meetings, expectations and you forget about the faces, the people. Journalism is able to do something that a lot of professions can't; we get to experience brief yet intimate moments in people's lives, and then we get to share those moments with other people... all with the hope that we can come to understand each other better.

So, I have made a promise to myself. From now on, for every blog I read I will take time to see the person, the face behind the words... to understand.

What It Really Looks Like...

2010-02-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

I realize that I have yet to post any pictures of me in Maine. So I thought I would leave it up to a drawing I received from a wonderful friend.

For the record, let me just say that this is exactly what it looks like... minus the uni-brow!
(artwork attributed to Wanda O'Brien)

Things Are Looking UP

2010-02-04T17:08:00.001-05:00

I love when graffiti is actually uplifting. Especially when it is printed above an L.L. Bean outlet.

I had a pretty amazing (ly long) day in Portland. The point of my adventure was to get to the Portland Observatory. It is a light-house shaped tower, that I am told, was built so that wives of sailors could climb up to the top to see if their husband's ships were coming in. Now, I do not have a sailor husband, and it is probably for the best because it was closed. I guess they don't see the value in winter sightseeing! But, once I got there I was only two blocks from Fort Allen Park, the tip of Portland that offers the best view of the islands. There is a beautiful hill for picnics, but in winter all you can do is stand, and freeze and enjoy the view. It seems like a lot of people drive down on their lunch break to eat and enjoy the view from their car... I guess that is part of the draw of the East Coast: car picnics with a view.

I spent some time down on the shore trail (which must be absolutely gorgeous in the summer) and right on the water there I saw a boat I was hoping I would be able to find in Portland. It's call Rawfaith and was built to be Maine's only wheelchair accessible tall ship. The gentleman who built it, has a disabled daughter and his hope when he began building it was to give other families with children in wheelchairs the chance to see the sea. He has given everything he has for his boat, and now it seems, the Portland port authority wants him out. But, Rawfaith really is a sight to see. I looks like a three mast pirate ship in the middle of the harbour. It stands right behind a statue of George Cleeve (who I know absolutely nothing about, except that the statue reads "He relied on persuasion by words not the sword" which sounds pretty valiant to me. If only everyone relied on persuasion by words rather than with guns, fists, and I guess... swords).

I'll have to do some research on this Cleeve character. He must not be that important considering they placed his courageous-looking monument behind a chain-link fence, next to a shipping trailer.

On the way from George Cleeve to the harbourfront I met a guy named Mike. He was on a walk to clear his head, taking a break from building an original Greendland-style kayak in his basement (his second home-made boat). He also introduced me to Standard Bakery by the pier and suggested some sort of crusty Asiago bun that was really quite delicious (and welcome after two hours of walking with a computer and a bag full of books on my back).

After roaming aimlessly all day I was lucky enough to come across the Museum of African Culture just 20 minutes before closing. It is just a small little museum, but had so much to offer. I was planning on getting there yesterday, but got held up. The museum's owner, Chief Oscar Mokeme, is such a charming and fascinating man. He answered all my questions about Igbo masks and carvings, and then I answered all of his about radio documentary. And, somehow, with his gentle charm he convinced me to help him set up a podcast about the museum to let people explore from home. I have the equipment, I have the knowledge, I have the interest, all I will need is a little bit of time. I left the museum for home and by the time I got here he had already sent me an e-mail thanking me for coming to Portland and that he is grateful to have met me. How could anyone not do their best to help out a man as wonderful as that? At my request, he also sent along a blurb he wrote and posted on the wall in the museum. It explains a West African (Nigerian, he says) way of seeing everything as spirit-related. It is a rather refreshing way to think of things. I thought I would share it with all of you (either that or I am gunning for the title of world's longest blog post!). It is called 'The Spirit of Dryness':

The Harvest Spirit of Dryness

The Spirit of dryness exhibit will highlight artifacts from the Sub-Saharan African cultures that focus of dry session, fall session, autumn and economic stagnation, the end of planting session and how this is related to the currents world’s economic melt down.

It is believed that every problem in African’s worldview is spirit related; therefore the current world financial economic melt down is also spiritual related.

The world have got off its guard and wander through ego among externals in search of happiness and materialism, and have sunk into dissipation and have committed crimes against the nature, our maker through war, through abuse of natural resources, and have refused to turn inward for refinement for having departed from the spirit of Chineke-creator; for this purpose the creator will begin to purify us and try our faith in order to draw us nearer to himself, so now he leads us through the paths of dryness and desertion.

So for this reason, as we try to fix our minds in pumping money into the economy and not in silence to feel God again, and we will not experience the comfort and refreshment that we had expected we will feel fear, trouble and loneliness as we have been trying to do it on our own human but not in the divine order, then, as we labor to no purpose and all the efforts to fix the world’s economy seem in vain and our imagination is so ungovernable by the use of monetary power and our minds so void of good.

But the state of dryness is very profitable if we use it to surrender to God, if we when we recognize it and suffer it with patience. This spirit uses this veil of dryness that we may not know what it is working in us and it is only to seduce us to seek God and repent from our old ways and welcome change through humility.

The spirit of dryness reminds us about the turn over, the death of the season, the necessity of deadness for rebirth and renewal, it brings peace to what is left behind, the husk of the fruitful season; returning the relics back to the earth and bridging from the dead towards eventual rebirth for the greatest good of all.

In this exhibit we will witness the power of death, fear and hope and experience the power of connecting back to the source that created us in order to regain our lives and our economic vitality and power.

All over the world, this is the season of dryness, the spirit of fall, harmmatan, autumn and the hope of what is to come when we completely surrender.

I guess if you think of deadness as necessary for rebirth and renewal, it doesn't seem so bad does it? Or, have I gone TOO spiritual on you?

Well, I have walked far, found some friends, and I feel fulfilled for the day. But, my highlight of the day so far was eating a banana by the sea!

Something About a Feeling

2010-02-03T13:49:00.000-05:00

I read this series of articles a couple weeks ago, but I can't stop thinking about it. These are articles written about what happens at home when an American soldier is killed abroad. This series is so beautifully written, and although it was published a whole five years ago, it is so timeless and heartfelt that it is still so relevant. In fact, in 2005 Jim Sheeler won a Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, and I say, well deserved. It takes a while to read, it comes in twelve parts, but I promise it is worth your time, if you have any. And if you don't, just read the first one. (But, I can't promise you won't want to read all twelve)

http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2006-Feature-Writing

I think a story like this is relevant especially on a day like today when three more soldiers have died in Pakistan. That is really what got me thinking about it today. You hear all the time about countries losing soldiers, and besides a shallow feeling of sympathy for their families, rarely do you think of the long term effects of losing each person.

Mostly, this story is so important to me because it truly exemplifies what true journalism really should do. It is not necessarily just to inform, but to make you feel... feel something, anything for what is happening in your world. Whether you are angry, or sad, or elated, journalism should hit something inside you, and make you feel something for other people, in other situations. See things in a different way. This is what Jim Sheeler has done for me, weeks after reading his articles: I read the story about these soldiers dead in Pakistan and I really and truly thought about what affect that news has. Instead of just skimming over that same story that comes by every month (about losing soldiers overseas), I really read it, and thought about the lasting affect of those deaths. He has made me see, at least this piece of news, with a refreshed reality. He made me think and feel in a human way for a news story that is written to be skimmed. He has made it real. And that, is what every journalist should aspire to: true, human, emotional reality.

If I could write like Jim Sheeler... well, I guess I would have a Pulitzer.

The Pine Tree State!

2010-02-02T09:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my first P.D. day (let's call it personal discovery, I don't remember what it stood for in elementary school) in Portland. I certainly took advantage of it. I walked around the city for about 5 hours. My goal yesterday was to find as many consignment or thrift shops as I could. From the very first consignment store I went into (Material Objects on Congress) I had this idea that maybe this really is the city for me. Nothing says home like consignment shopping, in fact, half the clothing I own was once owned by a stranger. But, I repressed the little voice in my head that tells me to buy whatever fits me, and I saved my wallet from an insta-shrink. All I ended up buying was six 5 cent coat hangers and a teacup with a lobster reading a book on it. I think it must be a crest for something, but it struck me as a little piece of Maine on a cup. An intellectual lobster? What more could you ask for? The one thing I really had set out to buy though was a toaster oven, or a hot plate for that matter... or anything that can heat food without blowing a fuse every time. It seems that the microwave here is on a circuit that covers a fairly large portion of my apartment so, I have learned that in order to use the microwave without that fuse-blowing POP sound, I have to stand in virtual darkness, and turn the heater off. But, I end up with a hot bowl of soup! Toaster oven is still on my list, and I actually found one... but it looked like it had been sitting on the shelf at the back of this hole-in-the-wall grocery store since hair scrunchies and plastic hoop earrings were in. (I do apologize if you are still into hair scrunchies and plastic hoop earrings... they can look cool! I guess...)

I main(e)ly stuck to the streets yesterday, rather than exploring the ocean and port. I have never lived near the ocean, perhaps it is a little daunting, so I will work my up to shoreline discovery. It is funny to have a whole new city to circumnavigate. Even when I moved to Ottawa, I feel like I already had seen everything there was to see. But here, I have no idea where I am. When I walked out the door the first day arrived I started walking the wrong way towards the school, and was quickly corrected. I am all turned around and upside-downed. At least, I have a week to figure it all out before I am expected to capture the essence of Maine on radio. So the adventure continues, day two of my Portland adventure can begin. I think I will head over to Salt and listen to the radio docs the Fall semester students just finished... see what is expected of me.

Here are the best of the photos I took yesterday:

This is a old building just a block down from my house. I just thought it looked like the branches are reaching towards the house in a very sinister way. Like they might wrap themselves around it and rip it off its foundation. Oh, what those deciduous trees will do to get attention in the "Pine Tree State".

These American's really are crazy about their eagles. I keep seeing them everywhere. This one was a pretty large and daunting sculpture on the roof of a factory building.

To be fair though, I guess we do have large, colourful, life sized moose on display all over Toronto!

This little shack in the middle of a wading pool just made me miss my older sister. She knows why.

I don't think this photo really translates how beautiful this church is. It looks as though it has been recently upgraded. I really wanted to go inside because it had some purple stained glass windows that I thought would look spectacular from the inside... but the doors were locked. I believe it is the Catholic cathedral (Immaculate Conception)

One more...

I promise...

We'll call this guy "The Pigeon Whisperer"

Some cities I would like to see

2010-01-31T10:51:00.000-05:00

I have finally made it to Maine! It only took 8 hours by car and 8 hours by bus, but I'm here

Here are a few pictures I took from the bus in Boston. I was in the city for about 45 minutes total and I never left the bus station, but I was really intrigued by what I saw out the window. There is some pretty interesting architecture in Boston. It seems to be a mix of older, original buildings and new and daring architecture.

Someone told me before I left Toronto, not to move to New England and become a Red Sox fan (I don't even watch.... baseball is it?), and I think there is no chance of that... but I might just fall for Boston. Next stop: Harvard? ...yeah right!

But alas, I had to say farewell to MA, and hello to ME. I will be back one day, I'm sure.

Avery On The Road

2010-01-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

I have just begun the journey towards Portsmouth, New Hampshire from Burlington, Vermont (a town that has such charm, and perpetually smells like Abercrombie and Fitch cologne, if anyone was interested) via Greyhound. Last night the family drove over the border at Ogdensburg, and we arrived in Burlington late last night. We seem to always stay in the Hilton, because it was one of the first hotels my parents stayed in after they were married. History, history...

So, I will have to switch buses twice, once in White River Junction and once in Boston, before I get to Portsmouth. And the tomorrow a lovely friend of the family is kind enough to have offered to drive me to Portland. And then, I will be set up in my tiny little, "by the sea" apartment, with a week to spare before school begins!

I have no pictures yet, just a travel update, but I miss you all already! So we will see how this Canadian girl fairs on her own in the mighty (or not?) States.

Farewell!

ps. I would like to thank the glories of technology for inventing Wi-Fi on moving vehicles, and Greyhound for providing it. It is because of these things, that this post was possible.

Update:

The just stopped in White River Junction, Vermont for a break. On the road again towards Boston, Massachusetts (I won't lie, I had to look up the spelling for that one!). My assignment for the day is to try my best to stop saying "eh" in chit-chat with Americans. It's extremely transparent... and while I am in no way ashamed of my Canadian heritage... it does make me a little cliche.
Here is a picture I took of White River Junction, Vermont... It's of a building because this was truly the most interesting thing too see in White River Jct.

A Beautiful Documentary (just photo and sound...)

2010-01-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

I came across this documentary by Shaun Bauer (an American Photographer) as part of my coursework assigned pre-Salt. It is a fine example of how you can make such a touching piece of work using only still images and recorded sound. It really is a real-life example of one of Salt's founding principles... "Documentary is more than just video."

Click on the picture below to view "Hotel Poverty" in it's entirety. A truly profound piece of work...

The most amazing book... for someone like me.

2010-01-23T12:47:00.001-05:00

I have begun reading book #1 of the 5 books I need to read before attending class. I started with the book that looked like the most interesting read, and I am just ripping through it. I will go as far as to say that if someone had put this book in my hands at the beginning of my journalism schooling, that ship might have sailed a lot smoother! (Granted, the book was only printed in 2007 and school started in 2005, but nonetheless... I needed this book!) It is called "Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writer's Guide". It brings together the voices of many award-winning journalists (notably all American) who each, in their own way, illustrate how to tell a great story.

I would say that I really do believe that reporters can get lost in all the facts, and arguments and pressure to see both sides and they forget why they started in this little-pay-hard-work profession. WE ARE STORYTELLERS... but somewhere along the way the narrative gets lost, and so in turn the reader becomes disinterested. This is why so many kids get into journalism, and then forget why they even dreamed of being a journalist, and then they filter off into English, political science and history, in an effort to regain their passion for the written word.... but I am getting away from the book.

I really can't say enough about the value of the lessons in here. Each person's take is no longer than four pages and each have specific examples of how they have practiced what the preach. It isn't like I have never been told all of these things in school, it is just nice to hear them from real people, out in the real world of reporting, telling REAL stories in interesting ways.

I will stop yammering about this book, but I will say... buy it: buy it for you, your favourite reporter, hell! even for that reporter you hate (maybe it will help them too?), buy it for you mother and father and sister... even if they don't care about writing at all... even if they are illiterate.

To end, this is my favourite part of the book so far... it is from writer Jacqui Banaszynski in here piece "Stories Matter":

Stories are our prayers. Write and edit them with due reverance, even when the stories themselves are irreverent.

Stories are parables. Write and edit and tell yours with meaning, so each tale stands in for a larger message, each story a guidepost on our collective journey.

Stories are history. Write and edit and tell yours with accuracy and understanding and context and with unwavering devotion to the truth.

Stories are music. Write and edit and tell yours with pace and rhythm and flow. Throw in the dips and twirls that make them exciting, but stay true to the core beat. Readers hear stories with their inner ear.

Stories are our soul. Write and edit and tell yours with your whole selves. Tell them as if they are all that matters. It matter that you do it as if that's all there is.

New Blog, New Adventure

2010-01-21T19:58:00.001-05:00

It is now t-minus eight days until my departure for the great New England...

If only there was enough time to do everything. I have been packing for the last two days and I am only now somewhat organized enough to even imagine my adventure: foraging a new path through the Maine coast land, microphone in hand (For you history lovers: It has been in fact 377 years [1633] since foreign blood set up camp in what is now Portland, but never by this Canadian girl... I have my "New England style" hat already!!)

I will be attending a small non-profit arts organization called The Salt Institute. It is a "school" that is run out of a small store front on the main street in Portland, ME. I have been dreaming of attending this program, well... since I started journalism school at Carleton (as always, way ahead of myself!). The opportunity to take, very specifically, radio documentary is an absolute dream. The only other way I could go about this kind of training would be the second year of a Masters of Journalism, a road I have chosen not to take (at least for now!). However, I am already getting the feeling that my 15 weeks at Salt will be packed to the brim with radio jargon, and lessons to learn. It seems like everyday I get a new e-mail from a professor with another list of things I need to do to prepare myself for the oncoming wave of intensive work. I have 5 textbooks to read, a handful of docs to listen to and and assignment... due before school even starts! If they are seeking to set the tone for things to come, they have succeeded! How funny yet exhilarating it feels to be expected to do school work again.

Well, I say... bring it on!