Our Christmas Kitchen

What a long day of baking in the kitchen my wife and I have just had.

I started out making bread dough for three loaves around 11 a.m. , and then into a separate batch of dough for buns called Cloverleaf rolls that are baked in muffin tins. Everything turned out great as you might be able to see from the photos. My wife made sugar cookies and I helped roll out the dough for that. They are very colourful and taste good as well.

We are busy getting things ready for Christmas dinner on Friday. I will be cooking a turkey for the first time ever. My mother-in-law bought a fresh bird for the occasion and I will be brining it in a salt/sugar solution for about ten hours and then roast it the next day. mmmmmmm...can't wait.

Tonight, Heidi also made lazy holopchi in the oven. A fantastic choice of comfort food to end our day. Tomorrow I am making doughnuts from a recipe that my mom used to make for us when we were kids. My in-laws will be over in the afternoon to snack on these with hot chocolate and marshmallows before they head out to church. Afterward were all gathering for a late dinner at my brother-in-law and his wife's home.

I'm already feeling the waist on my jeans getting tighter. :/

Ho, ho, ho, we're done!

Here I sit in W308 waiting for Journalism 1 to begin. In a few hours semester one will be over and I will officially be on winter break for three weeks. It's been a great four months that looking back have only really felt like two (sorry if that sounds "yoda-ish") The pace of CreComm has been hectic, but it's been worthwhile. I've come away with a strong grasp of the communications field of which I will officially enter in a mere 18 months. My classmates have been fantastic this first semester. Many fond memories will I carry forward.

I want to thank all of my instructors for an excellent first semester. It's been a tremendous learning curve since day one, but the improvements I've made are clearly noticed.

On behalf of myself, my wife, and our pets, merry Christmas to all!

It's deer season!

Forgive me as I speak in metaphor.
After this past week, I can almost feel that awkward sensation returning from my first day at Red River College. Exam week is upon me and my fellow classmates and I don't think I'm speaking out of turn by saying we're feeling the pressure. There's isn't a car approaching at 100 km/h ready to strike us down, but the light (exam week) definitely has our full attention.

Time to hit the books so's I can get out of the way.

Twitter is all-a-jitter

It's Tuesday, November 24th, 11:20 a.m., and the class is abuzz as we are schooled in the finer points of creating a Twitter account. I created an account about one year ago, but as of yet have found little use for it. Now, as I am thoroughly involved in my Crecomm program, the usefulness become crystal clear.

Twitter as a messaging tool is a glimpse into the future as communication becomes more immediate and our lives become inextricably attached to it. There will likely be imitators and the idea will continue to evolve as programmers streamline the idea to make it better. Keeping up with this constantly changing face of communication has created a new field of Darwinism (though his theory can pretty much be applied to any subject). If the modern communicator does not choose to use these functions in his or her practice, they are likely not as "in the know" as the communicators that do.

Point me in the direction of the nearest iPhone, I will need to get on board...

Cold War Films: Funny & Not so much...

About once a year there is one movie I like to sit back with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy for its comic brilliance. This movie is, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Much has been written about this Stanley Kubrick movie based on the Peter George novel, Red Alert. I don't intend to add too much to it here. Far more perceptive individuals than me have dissected this movie to great length and insight. If you've never seen the movie -until about a week ago my wife hadn't, so it was a perfect occasion- I suggest you set aside about 90 minutes sometime soon and rent it from your neighborhood dvd rental store.

While you're at it, get the movie Fail-Safe as well. I happened to watch this movie about two years ago on the Turner Classics movie channel and it was one of the most suspenseful and powerfully acted films made during, and about, the Cold War era. If Dr. Strangelove is the comedic winner for Cold War movies, Fail-Safe is the victor for the most terrifying endings in a war genre.

If you watch both movies back to back, try not to

be alarmed when the colour returns to your t.v. set.

Remembrance Day has passed, in date only...

I spent a total of fourteen hours on November 11th observing yesterday's Remembrance Day. It is a Remembrance Day I will not soon forget.

Two weeks ago our intrepid journalism instructor, Steve Vogelsang, tasked all 1st year Creative Communications students with reporting on a Remembrance Day service of our choice. We would be required to write two separate stories; one 300 word story about the service we attended, and a 600 word story based on a conversation with a veteran or a person affected by military conflict.

I entered this assignment with a high degree of anticipation. Unlike our last major assignment covering Winnipeg City Council, the makings of these stories were inevitably going to have points of interest. I gave myself a clean shave, dressed respectful of the occasion (black blazer/white shirt), and took off just before 10 a.m. to attend the service in my home of Selkirk at the local arena. The ceremony paid tribute to 30 veterans who sat on the opposite side of a carpeted aisle laid out on the ice surface. On the opposite side of the aisle were an assortment of RCMP, Cadets, Guides, and flag bearers. As 11 a.m. clicked over on the hockey scoreboard, the crowd of over 1300 that had gathered all bowed their heads for two minutes of silence. After the ceremony had ended I spoke with an old friend who was there with his wife and three sons (two of which are in Sea Cadets). After checking all the notes I had made for myself, I drove to the cenotaph to pay my respects, and went on to visit the Selkirk Legion.

As I passed through the doors of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 42, I was greeted by smiles. The attendance at the ceremony was high and it lifted the spirits of the veterans and personnel inside. Not the least of which was a woman I had spoke to earlier from the Selkirk Choir who had performed at the service, and Michael Tassano who handles publicity for the Legion. I told him my purpose of wanting to speak with a veteran about their experience and he pointed out several men who might speak with me.

The first man Tassano directed me to was a veteran who sailed on a Corvette that hunted German U-boats during World War Two. He was talking and sitting at a table with another veteran and having a drink. I introduced myself as a student on assignment and asked if he was comfortable talking about his experiences during the war. I can only describe the look he gave me as one of sorrow of remembrance, for if he were to tell me his story, there would be no possible way for me to accurately write them. He shook his head back and forth signaling his inability to help, and closed his eyes. When he reopened them a moment later I apologized for my interruption and thanked him for his time.

How does a stranger ask another to reveal likely the most vulnerable portion of their lives in a conflict that took over 45,000 of his countrymen, 1,190 of them from the Royal Canadian Navy which he was a part of? There is no real answer for this, but I felt like a jerk for even asking.

One man had stood out from the ceremony I had attended earlier. This man in uniform had walked the aisle during the Remembrance Day ceremony with precision and purpose. Pride flowed from his body with each step forward. Tassano had also pointed him out in the Legion as someone who may be willing to give an interview. I approached him with the same question I had posed to the WW2 veteran and he accepted.

I spent the next three hours talking with this man, Serge Raymond. We had a beer together and ate a lunch of beef stew provided by the Legion. Raymond was more warm and friendly than most people are, considering that on this day military men and women all across Canada (indeed the Western World itself) were honouring those who had died in combat in the service of their country. Raymond's French accent was refreshing and at times made for the occasional joke or two. At one point during my interview, as he spoke of friends who were killed when he was in Afghanistan, tears ran from his eyes. He apologized for having to stop the interview for a moment while he composed himself. I put forth my own apology, taking responsibility for the pain the subject had caused him. It's not hard to understand Raymond's memories will always have a raw edge to them. "It's good to talk," was his reply once we continued.

Below is the assignment I wrote called, Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier.

At the base of each thumb on top of Serge Raymond’s hands is a tattoo. Each the size of a toonie, on the right hand is a red maple leaf, the definitive symbol of Canada. On his left hand is a poppy, the symbol of remembrance to those who have fallen in times of conflict. The tattoos are testaments to things Raymond holds dear; his country, and the remembrance of those who are gone. Serving Canada one way or another has been, and still is, Raymond’s life.

To say 52-year-old Serge Raymond is a soldier in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry does not reveal the depth of experience he has obtained throughout his career. Though the distinction is of high regard, Raymond has been to many places, and seen many things.

Raymond joined the Canadian Army in 1976 at the age of 18 and became a soldier in le Royal 22e Regiment, the Van Doos, stationed at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier. A year later in 1977, he joined the Canadian Airborne Regiment and in 1981 was sent to Cyprus on a Canadian peacekeeping mission. Because of the 1974 Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus, the United Nations created a resolution with a mandate to stop any conflict that may occur between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.

“Four of us patrolled a 50 km buffer zone in two separate jeeps, Lynx’s, or APC’s,” says Raymond, “once in the morning and again in the evening. We patrolled as a recon platoon.”

In 1979, Raymond trained in the United States and Germany on soldier exchange programs, earning his wings as a paratrooper with their armed forces. Raymond combined his skills and experience to become an instructor, and sergeant, for the Canadian Airborne School at CFB Edmonton in 1983. This was also the same year, and the same place where he would marry his wife of now 26 years, Barb.

After the 1985 Turkish embassy attack in Ottawa, when three men exploded the embassy gate and shot a security guard and took hostages, Raymond was part of security details that protected American, French, Japan, Indian, Israel, and Turkish embassies. On occasion, he was security for the Prime Minister as well.

From 1986 to 2007, Raymond served as an officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His experiences with the RCMP took him to many locations in Canada. In 2008, Raymond re-entered the Canadian Forces as a private with the 2nd Battalion PPCLI (2VP) at CFB Shilo.

“Once a soldier, always a soldier,” Raymond says, on his strong urge to return to the military.

On March 1, 2008 Raymond went to Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force to help provide stability for the country and fight the Taliban. During Raymond’s six month tour in Afghanistan, 19 Canadian soldiers were killed. Nine of these soldiers were from the same battalion as Raymond.

“There was a Taliban attack on a patrol that I was usually a part of,” says Raymond, the memory and emotion still raw, “three of my platoon members were killed in the attack. In four days they were scheduled to leave the forward operating base and come back to Kandahar.” To mark the tragedy of this day, Raymond had the date 3-9-8 tattooed on his arm.

In war we all mourn tragedy, but the military camaraderie cannot be denied. Raymond is scheduled to return to Afghanistan in 2011 should Canada’s commitment continue. To this day, he dreams of paratrooping with fellow soldiers.

“I may retire,” Raymond says, “but my options will always be open.”

The Hurt of Johnny Cash

I've wanted to create this juxta for a while now, but school has kept me uber-busy with projects. Johnny Cash died on Sept. 12, 2003, and it was my intention to post something on him around the anniversary of his death. I've finally found the time to pay a small tribute to this legend of music.

Johnny Cash was one of the most popular country musicians of his generation. He remained popular into the late 1990's before his death. One of the reasons was that he was able to take a contemporary song and give it his own Johnny Cash touch. Johnny Cash recorded Hurt in 2002 and is one of the examples heard here. The first time I heard him sing this Nine Inch Nails song, I was blown away.

I recalled the original NIN version from the album The Downward Spiral from my rock and roll youth. For me, the song speaks to the excesses of a lifestyle that will ultimately kill you. When you hear Cash play this song in his own way, I can feel the actual 'hurt' coming through in his voice. Whereas with NIN version, I feel that maybe his remorse has come too late and I have less sympathy for that. Here's the NIN version of the same song in its original form.

Both versions are performed equally as brilliant, but it's strange how I feel more sympathy for Cash who is aged and has not denied his own excesses in life. In the NIN version of the same song, I come away more with a feeling that the poor choices made in youth are maybe their own fault. I think I came across Cash's version of this song after his death. Knowing that Cash died within five months of his wife, June Carter Cash, made this song more poignant.

Cash had taken on other contemporary songs as well. Two standouts for me were a tune by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the song Rusty Cage from a grunge band called Soundgarden. Cash received many accolades for his portrayal of Hurt and it stands as one of his final testaments to a man who is living his final years.

Feel free to disagree with me entirely.

Blogging: “To be or, or not to be…that is the question”

All hail the era of the blog, the era of the blog we hail! (or something like that) Believe it or not (as this was Wikipedia sourced), the modern blog was born of the online diary as early as 1994. The weblog phenomenon has continued to build in popularity to present day and will likely not be disappearing any time soon into online history. There are simply too many opinions with a desire to be heard. Is this a force for good or a step in the opposite direction?

I think blogs are best when they aren’t taken too seriously. At best, they avoid being offensive and lean towards humour. A blogger can always choose to inform their audience, but hopefully they find a creative way to do it and do not just spout off. I can’t imagine what Rush Limbaugh’s blog would be like as I wouldn’t risk visiting the site and fouling my hard drive.

That being said, political blogs are not all bad. As long as their intent is to inform and not manipulate, sign me up. What is unfortunate in the realm of the blogosphere is there really isn’t a checks and balances system for online opinion. I’m not aware of any governing body that moderates poor taste according to blogs. There probably should be one, but I suppose for the most part we vote with our mouse’s.

If an individual creates their own blog, they’re relatively free to say what they want. What can happen for many blogs are opinions that can be misunderstanding of the original topic. This may not always cause too much harm as with the amount of blogs worldwide has surpassed the 180 million mark and one persons opinion becomes lost in a landslide.

What I feel is a great use for a blog and hopefully most peoples intention is the idea of social networking. Whether it be for keeping faraway friends updated on what’s happening in your life, or a way of increasing your chances of employment, blogging comes into its own.

In this way you have a tool to present your personality to others in the hopes of gaining their interest. It makes keeping in touch with those close to you much easier as they can link to your blog and find out what’s new in your life. Words of encouragement can follow if they post a comment on your blog congratulating you on an achievement or providing a “there, there…” when disaster occurs.

The way you choose to blog says a lot about yourself. For me, I try to stay on the light side as much as possible. There are too many other mediums out there that offer up healthy doses of seriousness already. The world needs laughter and pretty much take anyone, as long as it’s not in too bad of taste. How will you know, you ask? Send out your blog addy to everyone in your email list and see what happens. If you build it (laughter), they will come…

Alex, I'll take capitals for $500.

I suppose it was inevitable that I post about the grade I was given today. Our class was handed back assignments that involved a pitch letter to a well-known magazine. The task was a fictional one, but we were to treat it as "the real deal" and strive for perfection. (it's pretty much the tenet of every course in this program) When I handed in the assignment a little over a week ago, I felt pretty good about it. I had struck out across the web and did considerable research, all the while making sure I sounded professional for the client I was representing.

You know there's a "but" coming, right?

I had done well, but there was one inconspicuous, yet gross, error.

I had spelled BlackBerry with one capital "B" reducing my mark to a 4/10 instead of 8/10.

I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. I uttered the word that actress Jenny Slate was supposed to use when she made her mistake on Saturday Night Live last month. My first choice is always to go with the original, especially when I am in pain and have stubbed my toe, but I am in a classroom environment and must respect the ears of those around me.

"Fair" is not to be discussed here as the policy of making this type of mistake and the drubbing that will result has been mentioned on many occasions in several different classes. That's the rule that's been laid down and I was aware of it. What makes it more painful is that I've been burned by this mistake before in another class. Why did I not check my assignment better...

I can only chalk it up to just having to consider things I've never considered before. Small comfort if I don't put a stop to this before I find myself having plenty of time after Christmas, if you know what I mean. I'm already picturing myself as some crazy person who has post-it notes everywhere reminding me "what not to do!" so this won't happen again. Is this the answer I ask myself? Not sure about you, but I'm guessing stocks in 3M (that's a capital, right?) are pretty active when students head into the classrooms each year. Maybe we should all invest $500 each in 3M stock every August. We'd double our money just in time for the holidays. Whaddya say?

Disclaimer: all the above should be seen (mostly) as satire and is not meant to harm the reputation of any individual fictional or otherwise. They're all good people just trying to teach us to be better and make a living someday.

Students beware, we dared to compare

Our Buyer Beware team took on the task of coffee tumbler testing (that’s me kneeling with the goofy grin in the red and white fleece). We wanted to know which tumbler out of the five we tested would be the best buy for your stretched-thin student dollar. We sought out to see which one would perform the best under the harshest of conditions. We called our test:

Survivor: “Tumbler Island”

Our mission was to put these five different coffee tumblers through a set of tests that would ensure one of two things. Complete and utter failure or tumbler superiority. The five competitors we chose were:

1. Sears tumbler

2. Starbucks tumbler

3. Tim Hortons tumbler

4. Superstore tumbler

5. Dollarama tumbler

The four tests we used to challenge these five tumblers were:

-leak test

-heat retention test

-car cupholder test

-drop test (our favourite)

Test #1: Will it leak?

People are active. We move everywhere. And when we do, we sometimes make a mess. A leaky coffee tumbler can ruin anyone’s day, especially if it leaks onto your clothes or your laptop computer. We tested to see how well the seals on the lids of our coffee tumblers held up under severe conditions.

We filled up each tumbler with water about one inch from the top and put the lids back on. We had a good idea about how these would perform due to their design. The Superstore and Starbucks tumblers had screw-top lids and likely wouldn’t leak. The other three had lids that pressed or snapped on. The Dollarama tumbler had no closer for the hole in the lid. It would not fare well.

We brought all five outside and shook them in three different ways to simulate different conditions. We first shook the tumblers vertically side to side, then held them upside down, then shook them upside down. Each test was about ten seconds long. We did these tests over a concrete driveway so any droplets that fell would be seen easily. The results were:

1st place: Superstore tumbler; no leaks during any test.

2nd place: Starbucks tumbler; a couple of drops lost during shake tests.

3rd place: Tim Hortons tumbler; mild leaks during shaking, drops fell upside down.

4th place: Sears tumbler; leakage during shaking, dripped steadily upside down.

Last place: Dollarama tumbler; leaked at every opportunity.

Test #2: To cool for school?

We boiled enough water to fill all five tumblers and tested each one to make sure they all started out the same temperature. Before each lid was put on a tumbler, we used a thermometer to ensure an equal 199 F. We tested each tumbler at three intervals: 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 1 hour. The results at the end were:

1st place: Starbucks tumbler at 164 F. (a loss of 35 degrees)

2nd place: Superstore tumbler at 155 F. (a loss of 44 degrees)

3rd place: Sears tumbler at 148 F. (a loss of 51 degrees)

4th place: Tim Hortons tumbler at 145 F. (a loss of 54 degrees)

Last place: Dollarama tumbler at 143 F. (a loss of 56 degrees)

Test #2.1: Will it freeze?

Okay, okay, not freeze exactly. Our team realized that we needed to conduct a test to simulate a cold winter. We pictured a student waiting for a transit bus, coffee in hand, and what it would take to cool their coffee before they had a chance to enjoy it.

We repeated the same start-off method as the previous test, but when the clock started ticking, these little tumblers were placed in a chest freezer. We tested the tumblers at two intervals this time: 15 minutes and 30 minutes. Like really, who’s waiting for a bus more than 30 minutes, right? Our start off temperature was 200 F this time around, likely due to residual heating from the previous test. The results at the end were:

1st place: Starbucks tumbler at 174 F. (a loss of 26 degrees)

2nd place: Superstore tumbler at 169 F. (a loss of 31 degrees)

3rd place: Tim Hortons tumbler at 158 F. (a loss of 42 degrees)

4th place: Sears tumbler at 157 F. (a loss of 43 degrees)

Last place: Dollarama tumbler at 140 F. (a loss of 60 degrees)

Test #3: Will it fit?

In this test we tested the cup holders of two common models of cars that you are likely to see on our city streets. Heck, you may even own one of these types of vehicle. With so many different cars out there we can’t test them all, but it will give you something to consider when you go out to buy your next tumbler. (much easier than buying a new car)

Out of the five tumblers tested, two of them were not the best fit for the cup holder of a 2005 Toyota Corolla. The Sears tumbler was a bit wobbly, and the handle on the Dollarama tumbler wouldn’t let the tumbler seat properly at all.

The second car we used to test-fit coffee tumblers was a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire. In this case we had very different results. The only tumbler that fit into the cup holder, and then gain reasonable access to, was the Sears tumbler.

One piece of advice we can pass on from this test is to make sure you hang onto your receipt until you try your tumbler in your cars cup holder. What really determines how well your tumbler fits is the type of car you own. Again, much easier to to a buy new tumbler than a new car. I can’t stress this enough.

Test #4: Will it break?

This test was the most fun to conduct. I guess because it panders to a base human nature to see things crash and burn. Well, crash anyways. In this test we wanted to see how well our tumblers held together if they were dropped from reasonable, everyday heights. No hijinks like SCTV televisions falling from rooftops. (as fun as that might be)

The first drop test we conducted on our unsuspecting tumblers was from waist height. This would represent the height which a tumbler would fall if a person was walking with it. Tumblers in hand and full of water, we took to the sidewalks outside Red River College and proceeded to wreak destructive forces. Here’s how they measured up.

1st place: Starbucks tumbler; hardly a scratch, no leaks.

2nd place: Superstore tumbler; lid loosened a little, no leaks, hardly a scratch.

3rd place: Tim Hortons tumbler; exterior crack down side, lid stayed on, no leaks.

4th place: Dollarama tumbler; lid came off, but no breakage.

Last place: Sears tumbler; lid came off, base broke from main body of tumbler.

For the second drop test we wanted to perform, we needed a sturdy set of stairs. Not wanting to endanger the public at large, we chose the stone staircase of the Public Safety Building across campus. (it was already drizzling outside, so a little more water wouldn’t hurt) Our team went to the top of these stairs, about seven in total, and walked towards them as if we were about to descend. When we reached the edge, we each let go of our tumblers and let calamity ensue. These were the results.

1st place (tie): Starbucks and Superstore tumblers; minor scuffs, stayed intact.

At this point of the results, the rest all pretty much came up losers. The lid flew off the Dollarama tumbler, the Tim Hortons lid flew off and the handle cracked, and the Sears tumbler broke apart even more with the slide mechanism on the lid disassembling before our eyes to lay at our feet. All of our scientific data now compiled, we cleaned up our mess and headed back to campus.

Conclusions

If you’ve read all this, you’re likely seeing a pattern and can draw your own conclusions. Here are the clear winners in terms of the testing our team conducted. I’ve included the price of each tumbler we tested to help you make your best decision.

1st place: Starbucks tumbler $21.95; best overall performance.

2nd place: Superstore tumbler $14.99; slightly underperformed, didn’t retain heat quite as well, had a minor lid issue during first drop test.

3rd place: Tim Hortons tumbler $4.69; did not lose lid from first drop test, but body cracked, heat retention was average.

4th place: Sears tumbler $9.99; broke on first drop test, second drop test broke even further, heat retention only slightly better than Tim’s tumbler.

Last place: Dollarama tumbler $1.25; leaked consistently (no closer on lid), poor heat retention, lid came off for both drop tests.

So there you have it! The skinny on how these tumblers stacked up. The big question for any student out there is whether or not they want to shell out the most money (Starbucks) for performance, or buy a tumbler (Superstore) that only slightly underperformed our first place winner. The difference being seven dollars between the two, I can field a guess which might be the better buy. If you’re loyal to what some people might call ‘Canada’s coffee’, you could go with the Tim Hortons tumbler. Just don’t drop it or the relationship is over. The Sears tumbler just didn’t seem to have the reliability we might have thought. The Dollarama tumbler should only be considered for gag gifts or for throwing at the head of an ex-lover who’s done you wrong.

The best word of advice I can give any student or consumer is to find a stainless steel tumbler with a screw-top lid and then shop for the best price. Our top two competitors both had these design features and ensured their success in our tests.

the bug has struck...

I wish it was the 'love bug' (that one has found me already) but no, this one is more devilish.

I've removed myself from classes today due to my poor health. The pictures above pretty much describe my transition from last week. The healthy guy is a fair bit younger than me, but I felt my energy matched his. The past several days have been a different story. My throat began to feel sore about five days ago and now this sickness is in full bloom; headache, coughs, trouble sleeping, body ache, runny fluids out the nose and throat, yeah...icky stuff.

Deciding not to attend classes is not a decision I took lightly. The program I am in provides a busy schedule. If you miss one day, you miss out on a lot of information. I spoke to a couple of my instructors about removing myself from classes and they were sympathetic. I submitted an assignment before I went home that was due today, so sure I was of my health sliding further. The other side of the coin though is if you are gone too long, you can have a difficult time making up for what was missed. Faculty recommends a person should stay home if they are not well, but a students performance in the program suffers too much if they are absent. Due to the requirements we face, I guess this is why these illnesses spread so easily at campus or any other institution for that matter. We can't afford to not be there and fall behind so much that we can't catch up. Survival of the fittest Darwin theorized! Knowing what needs to be done before the end of this week, today is hardly a holiday. I will be working on assignments to relieve any pressure I may encounter when I likely return tomorrow. I'm sick yet must perform nonetheless.

I felt really awkward being in class yesterday. I kept coughing in class and I felt like this walking vector of sickness. (apologies to those who were disturbed by this) I had to get up and leave at one point to take a swig of cough syrup in order to stop. I nearly threw up. As bad as I was, I felt I had to be there as I was part of a group that was making a presentation in PR class. When we went to present, my head was so fuzzy I did not realize that my laptop was not connected to the projector overhead. I began our presentation and had to end it ten seconds later due to the lack of a proper cable.

Oops.

We will take another swipe at this tomorrow as I've been assured by my instructor she will have the necessary cable on hand. We've researched our subject well so I am looking forward to presenting it. Health be damned!!!

p.s. Kudos to the groups that made their PR presentations! They were all well done!

Media in Transition

Methods of mass communication have developed from mid fifteenth-century printing presses (seen above), to devices that now fit in the palm of your hand. It is hard to know what will be invented ten years from now, much less what will arise out of the next five-hundred year span. One thing is sure, youth will help determine how information will be delivered. The tools they choose to use play a part in how information is gathered and transmitted.

It’s hard to walk anywhere on Red River campus without seeing students gazing at the screen of a laptop or desktop computer. They are integrated in our lives that we all take them for granted at this point. The world is at a users fingertips (if you have a service provider) and virtually anything you want to discover is only a website away.

Students have constant access to computers and each year it’s getting harder to find teens who do not own their own cell phone. For many of them, this is their first personal communication device. Teens appear to make the most use out of a cell phone by using it for texting, with conversation coming in a close second. The immediacy of sending brief messages in a matter of moments seems to be a deciding factor. This is the basis for the popularity of Twitter as news can pass by word of mouth to thousands of people in a matter of minutes.

Knowing todays youth is highly connected to the web is the first thing to realize about getting their attention. From here on in, the process can get complicated. It’s easy to feel lost when well over 100 million websites in the world are competing for attention. The device itself can dictate what type of information is sent. Whereas a cell phone generally has a limited amount of information it can send at any given time, the flexibility of a computer in this sense is superior; for now. It is generally seen to be an easier device to read from, though products like the iPhone are gaining popularity with users.

Every day there are stacks of unsold newspapers at any number of places, including this campus. The era of newspapers isn’t drawing to a close, but society is assessing its convenience. In the era of online news, RSS feeds, and podcasting, it’s becoming harder for a daily newspaper to compete. Many people maintain their own weblogs as well where opinions and information pass from person to person to person.

All of todays technology is tailored for the present. Any plan for the future of news must contain online presence. Today’s youth could not imagine a world without the latest technology at their disposal. They are seen as a testing ground for what will work and what will fail. As they will design the models of the future, society needs to make sure they have it.

Progress anyone?

I’m early with this post, but I can’t help myself. This subject has been bouncing around in my head for a couple of days. When an idea is begging to get out, you just have to roll with it.

In my last post I mentioned I was given a President Obama T-shirt as a gift from my wife. We both had followed the 2008 US presidential election and were overjoyed, and relieved, when Barack Obama took office. Many people are inspired by President Obama and will likely continue to be for years to come. One can imagine once his term(s) in office conclude, he will remain a fixture on the US political scene and maintain a high profile.

I received a number of looks from students and faculty as I walked around campus wearing this shirt. I felt I was getting looks of ‘Where did you buy that?’ by many people. I admit, I wore this T-shirt with a certain amount of pride. Curiously, there were some people who’s expression became slightly more wrinkled as their eyes fell on Obama’s likeness. Did they not agree with the politics of the man, or simply that I’m an Obama ‘booster’ on the wrong side of the border. That’s one beauty of political democracy, or at least our definition of it. Opinions are free to sway either way. So, what’s available to me on the north side of the 49th parallel?

Well everyone, here he is smiling in front of you. It’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a photo that appears to be reaching out for the PETA vote. The kitten does not look convinced and already looks bored only weeks out of the mothers womb.

Media lampooned Stephen Harper in the 2008 election campaign for his series of ‘armchair chat’ commercials wearing his v-neck sweater. They seemed contrived and staged just like the T-shirt above. (this T-shirt does not exist, the photo is just an overlay) I thought I might as well fashion a shirt just as contrived as those sets of commercials were. I could have found a better photo featuring Prime Minister Harper, but it is a shirt I would still choose not to wear. Over and above his politics, he’s just not that likable nor does he inspire “PROGRESS” like the US President.

Come to think of it, I can’t think of any politician in Canada I feel strongly enough about where I would wear their likeness on my person. I’m sure they’re mostly nice people. I don’t hold anything personal against any one of them. Any politician I have seen so far in Canada does little to inspire. There is one hope, but his political feet are barely wet.

Maybe it’s celebrity culture in the US that allows politicians to elevate in the hierarchy of citizens minds. Image politics has been huge over there for a while and it’s something they have learned to do very well (for better or worse). Americans voted 53 per cent in favour of Obama’s rise to the American presidency. It was a decisive win for an american political system that had seen its series of mistakes. Canadians did not go out in droves for Stephen Harper in 2008 as only 37.6 per cent of Canadians voted for him. It would appear many people in Canada at the time were not sold on the idea of Harper for Prime Minister. I guess 15.4 per cent is the difference between getting your likeness on a T-shirt and largely being ignored.

Luckily, we avoided the need for another election this past Friday and politicians won’t have to project their image too deliberately for a while. Maybe by the time were ready for an election that will actually be about issues, we’ll have someone who is T-shirt worthy.

Blogger, you've tricked me...

In my effort to be engaged and fulfill my class requirement of blogging, I started my second weblog on Friday, September 11th. (the blog directly below this one) I held it in 'draft' status as I anticipated the complete blog would not be ready for a few days. Feeling it was ready last night, September 14th, I posted the blog with the hope of eliciting laughs from those who read.

Much to my surprise did I see

when the blog entered 'the realm of all blogs'

the date of September 11th staring back at me.

Blogger, you tricky young rogue.

Of what usefulness is 'draft'

when you pull words back

dated three days past?

Okay, not perfect rhyme but I think that's how people vented a long time ago. They put quill to paper and let the ink fall where it may.

Me, I'll just word process from now on and paste it to this blog later. Lesson learned.

How much is that doggy on the rooftop?

I have to say right off the top that the photo I took on the right played a big part in deciding the subject of this blog. From my first day it became the thing to remember of my RRC tour given by second year Cre-Comm students. It was a curiousity I couldn't forget.

How in the world, or at least in Winnipeg, did this poor toy end up on an exchange district rooftop? He looks at least a metre long, but I think he's larger than that. This photo was taken from a distance and for the record, I have no idea how long he's been up there.

I took a walk around the neighborhood and discovered that Rusty, I shall call him, sits atop Little Saigon restaurant. I've pointed him out to classmates and we've shared a laugh over it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, he's best seen from the third floor in most "W" classrooms. It's a bit of a departure from where toys like him are usually found.

I can't help but consider the back-story that went behind Rusty being up there. Was he stolen and the thief on the run needed to stash his goods? Was there an argument between two children and the parent chose to chuck Rusty rather than listen to constant fighting? There's only one person who knows for sure and that's the one who threw him up on the roof. You can't forget something that big so I guess Rusty became expendable. In the very least he must have been a prize. I can't imagine Rusty was cheap to buy.

Too funny in my opinion. It leaves much fodder for my imagination.

My wife came home from her trip to New York on Sunday. She was away for seven days and I was very happy to see her arrive home safe. She happened to be there on the eighth anniversary of the September 11th attacks which made me feel edgy. She is always good to me and brought back many goodies like: chocolate covered pretzels, movies, NY t-shirts, President Obama t-shirt with coffee mug, and a very cool Movado-ish watch. I provided a clean home, happy dogs, and a dozen roses on her return when she walked in the door.

Since I was young there was always tension when traveling to the U.S : buying extra health insurance, crossing the border, talking to grumpy border guards, keeping track of receipts. I have to say the feeling has never left me. I guess it's the whole 'foreign soil' thing and the perception that many people there are armed. I don't personally know anyone who's had trouble while visiting there, but I know it happens. Just follow those basic rules we all know by now and you're likely to always stay out of trouble.

I guess being somewhere other than home can be awkward to begin with.

I've gone and done it!

Well everyone, this is it. I am now part of the student body at Red River College, Princess Street seen at the right. It is a beautiful campus and it will be my second home for the next two years. I'm into my second week of classes and its been great. I am looking forward to the challenges a first year Cre-Comm student faces. (note to self: remember this statement when floored by sheer volume of assignments)

I'm finding my way around campus much better now. I've met several helpful people along my travels when I've lost my way. My best rule: always look for signs (not 'Signs', M. Night Shyamalan). Whenever I start to feel wary about my direction (pop!), one of those directional signs on the wall never seems to be far away.

One of my favourite places other than the on campus Tim Hortons (minus the line ups), is the atrium. What appears to have acted as a back alley for many decades in the early 1900's, is now a glass roof vertical space that connects the William and Adelaide buildings to the Princess building. Corbett Cibinel Architects (now known simply as Cibinal Architects) were responsible for the design and implementation, determining which parts of the structure could be removed. The facades were an important feature and needed to remain intact. It was one of several design requests along with preserving the original trading floor and many window openings. There's more pieces of history on campus like doors to safes, wooden crate ends (mounted as artwork), and the third floor Heritage room of the Princess building. I like the items the campus has salvaged and enjoy seeking them out when I have a moment between classes.

The actual question of what my blog would contain was more difficult than I thought. What subjects are left, really? Some answers are simply found when your not dwelling on them. Like anyone, I want my blog to be unique in its own way. I've set up a YouTube video box on the side for visitors to have an idea of my taste in music. I'll try and change it up from time to time. If you hear something there you like or want to know more about it, let me know. I've actually retooled this blog from an earlier time. Before my wedding last Fall, I began blogging in an effort to notify friends of my pending engagement. Feel free to read these posts as well if you so choose.

I went into this project with an earlier idea, but today it took a turn. While this post is meant for introductory purposes, after today a theme takes over. It may be risky, but I think it could be interesting. To some extent I will always include events in my life, but the recurring theme will be (drum roll please)...

juxtaposition. to place something closely alongside another for contrasting effect. The picture of Princess Street campus at the beginning of this post is a good example of juxtaposition. The integration of historic and modern architecture is striking and deserves many accolades.

Stay tuned. This could be fun.

(church/skyscraper photo attribute: Michael Fenichel 2008)

No, it's not what you think...

You may think that I have chosen to add this particular photo to complement some underlying message. A pictorial metaphor per se. No, the world has not 'gone to the dogs' , though some would argue the world might be better run. From front to back they are Babe, Bob, and Foxy. My wife chose their names earlier on before I knew her. Believe it or not, they are suitable.

Today is my wedding day and this little trio will become my adopted family. I've heard that animals really adopt us though. I have come to enjoy their personalities and care for their needs, especially now that I will become a permanent presence in their lives. On the eve of the wedding I presented my lady love with an adoption certificate stating I will become a guardian in their lives. I pretty much always have been, but now it's official. I didn't even consider the 'brownie points' I was going to get for that.

My family (Mom, Ray, Angie, Loren, Amanda, Skylar) drove in for the wedding yesterday and joined the Gal's family (Eddie, Irene, Uncle Dennis) here in our home last night. There was homemade lasagna and a large salad complete with bread sticks. Oh yeah, and lots of wine! The Blueberry Shiraz I bottled earlier in the week is going over very well with everyone. My brother bought us a humungous barbeque as a wedding gift. It was incredibly heavy and looks big enough to rotisserie a 25 pound turkey! It should be very nice to cook with come summer. My mother gave us some very ornate crystal wine glasses. My Aunt Shirley was not able to come for the wedding, but sent along a very nice spice rack and $50.

In less than a 11 hours I will be a married man. I'd be lying if I said I have not been jittery as of late. Last night was a turning point though. Seeing all my family around us and the new family I will very soon be a part of, I felt a sense of calm. Their actions are those of acceptance and it reinforces the fact that the choice I have made in 'my Gal' is the right one. The dimension of married life is one that will be full of challenges, but it is one that I have lived to discover my whole adult life. I thank all those who have helped to make this day a reality.

The Wedding Planners

Apparently, once a man asks for a woman's hand in marriage, both their lives switch into high gear. Since that happy Christmas Day, 'the Gal' and I are now discussing daily some aspect of our wedding. At times the subject of eloping has been mentioned with a tinge of humour, but with a hint of possibility as well. That being said, we will be taking a relatively traditional route and having an intimate wedding with family only.

Early on, 'the Gal' had her eyes on a place where we've patronized several times in the past. It's a lovely home on the outskirts of the city now converted into a restaurant. 'The Gates on Roblin' offered several different rooms depending on the size of our party. An atrium surrounded by windows on three sides suited our needs. There will be twenty one guests if all those invited arrive. Our wedding will take place on April 4th.

I've taken over the responsibility of creating/designing the invitations and announcements. (one serves as a backdrop for the photo above) My fiancee and I attended a wedding extravaganza last month where she was able to find a dress that she loved. To that we also found a marriage license issuer, a cupcake shop (in lieu of a wedding cake), musicians (one of which will be my cello instructor from two years ago), and a jewelry store for my wedding band. Countless other brochures and information were given to us as we made our way throughout all the venues during the three hours we were in attendance. Plenty of little extras have already been arranged. The cake topper you see above (my choice), limo service, and most recently the flowers.

Like any 'new married', we wanted someplace special to stay on our wedding night. After looking at the hotels in the city that looked to be our best options, another idea struck me. All the hotels, while fitted with the modern conveniences, seemed rather lifeless. I have always been a man who appreciates the character of a home or building, something 'the Gal' appreciates as well. It seemed obvious once I thought about it. Why not a Bed & Breakfast? We have been to several B&B's during the past two years and we have always enjoyed the intimate hospitality and the setting. We narrowed down our choices to a few possibilities and decided on a turn of the century mansion called 'The Columns'. It was built by a wealthy industrialist nearly one-hundred years ago in one of the first upscale neighborhoods in Winnipeg. The room is beautifully furnished and provides one of the most romantic settings I have ever seen. The cost is less than a modern hotel, and the personal service in a B&B can't be beat. The operator of the home was very happy to hear that her B&B will play a part in our wedding. We can't wait to stay there and enjoy the surroundings it will have to offer.

We will be lucky enough to depart on our honeymoon soon after the wedding as well. With a little bit of encouragement, I was able to convince 'the Gal' that a honeymoon in Cuba would be the best value providing the sun she dearly misses. We will spend one week in Varadero taking in the sun, sand, and local sights of Havana. My joke has been that I will be smoking a cuban with Cubans. We'll see...

On the school front, I had my interview yesterday for the communications program at RRC. It went ok. In hindsight, there were areas where I could have provided better answers. All in all I feel the work I prepared stands for itself. The interviewers showed me how I had scored in the exams I had taken and the portfolios I had submitted. The results ranged from better than average to average. One of them remarked where I thought I did not do well that, 'It's not necessarily bad. We have a tendency to mark students tough.' I submitted two more items to help show my enthusiasm for the course. I will hear in the next six to eight weeks if I have been accepted. The best outcome would be to find out I am accepted for the program before my wedding day. I can then rest easy and truly enjoy all that is important. My future wife and life.