Sad-Happy Day

What to do... what to do?

It's funny how "time flies" on swift, powerful wings. Hated cliche... so overused, yet true with the type of truth that is usually accompanied by that foul taste in the mouth.

Today is my last day at formerly "First-year Services," now "Student Development Centre" at the University of Regina. A new, ambiguous department name for a new, ambiguous academic future. They let me eat cake today, and gave me a card... which they each signed with their own unique message written down for my memory. I will miss this place and the people more importantly.

"The Student Development Centre -- Helping to give you the tools you'll need to succeed."

Where I am going is a place far more menacing and I am not oblivious to the challenge I will face there. It's ironic that I am now going to leave the place I love to be (the university campus) to go to a place I could not wait to leave (high school) in order to help make the transition from one stage to the next better for my future students.

It could be that I am truly going delusional, like the occassionally significant pressure in my head is indicating.

Friends and Furniture

It's going to be great to see my good friend Dan Hanline next week. I haven't seen him more than once since he left for Wascesiu in May. So it's going to be a great reunion, probably involving many stories of adventure and such...

On another, more random, note, let's look at the cost-effectiveness of this chair for a minute.


Wood Frame = $10
Nails = $0.40
The Horns of 7 Bull Buffalo to be used as "Ornaments" = Priceless

To the "pioneers" of the west we owe so much gratitude in ridding our landscape of such creatures. Who wouldn't want a chair like this at your kitchen table? I mean, look at the back support... the pointed, comfortable armrests. That's one I never want to see again.

Lines of Age

On a recent trip out to Lethbridge for my cousin, Rachel's, wedding I was able to see my Grandparents for the first time in over a year. The years have been kind to them in unique ways, but it's always interesting to see how we age. I think there's an interesting beauty that comes with those lines that "pop" culture is trying to tell us are something to fear and alter at the drop of a hat.

Besides, age is only relevant to how we feel.

My grandma, Hilda Peters...

My grandpa, Peter Peters (you have to love the originality of that name).

They live in Winnipeg, MB... and have done so for all of my life anyway!

Flowers in a Box

Lisa, looking particularly relaxed on our couch on a hot Saturday afternoon. Notice the interesting piece of art on the wall above her, and my mis-shapen knee in the lower left of the picture. I was still in my pj's at the time... go figure.
Lisa, now thoroughly annoyed at my picture-taking antics, has refused to smile in this one. Still, notice the wall decor... Let me tell you a little information about that shadow box.

This piece of interior art decor was at one point something very different, having once graced the ceiling instead of the wall. When we first moved into our present abode, we were treated to some very interesting light fixtures that immediately came down to be replaced with more desirable ones.
This frame had once been part of an elaborate fluorescent light fixture that hung down from the ceiling in the kitchen. We liked the frame so much, we decided it would make an excellent "shadow box".



I painted it black, cut the backing for the box, and put the fabric onto the backing. We happened to be in the right place at the right time to purchase these silk flowers on the cheap, (and voila!) creating this interesting design with the help of our dear Scott Schlosser.

Proud New Parents and Proud Friends of New Parents

Proud new parents, Michael and Devora Fischer-Cascante, with newborn (literally 6 hours old) Santiago.

We (Lisa and Myself) are very happy for them and wish them good fortune (in its many forms) as they move from the Queen's City to Ottawa... the centre of the universe! Oh, I forgot that Toronto had already claimed that title.

All Smiles

If Nole was on the cutting edge of fashion,
then so too are his parents. Phil (also holding their dog, Elwood) and Richelle (holding Nole), are involved in a strange new phenomenon known as "Dress for Success Costume Marathoning" that is sweeping the nation. Phil has won widespread fame for his daring ensambles. This latest one was actually featured in a recent issue of "The Last Mile" magazine. Are they not adorable, Each and every one of them? I must say that they are on the cutting edge of each and every trend...

A review of the LaChapelle movie: "Rize"

See the Original Article here: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/rize.html

Earthlings

Hats off to the brilliance of warmth and summer. We've missed you both.

The Trees Look Green

If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
~Jack Handey

It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees.
~Wilson Flagg

Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does.
~George Bernard Shaw, Maxims for Revolutionists, 1903

It's funny how much trees are a part of us. For a number of summers during my undergraduate at the U of S, I'd go off to do some treeplanting in order to make enough money to pay for school during the next year. At first I was shocked at how much forest we (humanity) cut down. We'd take helicopters into the backcountry of Alberta and Saskatchewan where we'd be "exposed" to the truth of the bald mountains or the wide-open, created "prairie". It's funny how one can become physically nauseous by the sight of it all. In my first summer, we planted an area that I was fortunate enough to return to three years later. The forestry industry hypes our natural soft wood and hard wood resources as renewable, but understand that the chances of a one-hundred year old tree being renewed are slim to none. The trees we had planted were mostly dead due to the large number of insects that now feed off them. These insects have become immune to the large amount of pesticides used to "help" these saplings grow. Now the likelihood of one sapling making it to maturity is more like one-in-ten. How is that "renewable"? That is a question I would like to ask a company like Weyerhaeuser, one of the worst perpetrators of environmental degradation that the Canadian west has allowed to reap the rewards of its natural forest. Why not try hemp instead?

Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them. ~Bill Vaughn "The Portable Curmudgeon" compiled by Jon Winokur

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.
~Cree Indian Proverb

A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense.
~American Proverb

They kill good trees to put out bad newspapers.
~James G. Watt, quoted in Newsweek, 8 March 1982

Save a tree. Eat a beaver.
~Author Unknown

The Credit Must Go To Malba (For All The Great Toast She's Made Over The Years)

In a darkest corner of the cupboard you sit and wait... knowing your day will come. You've become bitter (almost particle board-like) as you've paled in the pitch black of the shadows. The box of salt blocks any light from entering your world of remorse-turned-burning-hatred for the day.

You know there will be a moment. A sweet moment of vengeance as you will choke any reasonable texture and taste from the buds of your next victim who presumes that you will always be there for their amusement. You've heard the whispers from the spice rack, muffled though they were. Time waits for no bread, except for you in hardening your heart to the consistency of rock.

There are rumours sifting among the neighbours. The freezer hasn't seen a loaf of bread for some time. The honey has gone hard in its container. The peanut butter has put on a brave face, but even you can see with your faded vision that there is plenty of peanut oil dripping from his oily forehead.

It is during these moments of waiting that you think to yourself, "Satisfaction will be a tough morsel to swallow for my neglecting friend." Piecing the puzzle together was only half of the fun as you purposefully lengthened a crack in your face. "Needy people are so fun to disappoint," you think as you dwell on the possibilities for this epic struggle that is now inevitable to all but the baking goods section of the cupboard. They always did live in a fantasy made of icing sugar and syrup.

Then the door opens...

The things you thought. The hatred. The hurt. The misery. It all loves company, as you float over the quiet of the neighborhood to the burning light. Then you break down as you think of your blessed mother. What was the purpose of your existence if it wasn't for THIS moment?

She nurtured you... showing in her efforts the meaning of scientific method in parenting. Her secret recipe was the key to your long life. It hasn't been fulfilling, but most lives rarely are.

A vision comes to you and time stands still. "Hello son. Do you not remember me? In the recesses of your mind you surely must remember the warm evenings of laughter we enjoyed together. I want you to know that I have always loved you. Even after you were taken away from me, I still clung to the thought of this moment being the fruition of your destiny. Fair thee well. Now do your best and choke the living daylights out of this fool."

Speak of the Devil...

"Is there ever a day when I'm ahead?"

This just happens to be a question I asked myself this morning as I was "running late" for class again... Like every Tuesday and Thursday. I could see myself in Doc's garage... Looking at the clock... Marty in another life...

"8:30? I'm late for school!" Only this time I don't have a skateboard and I still have to print off an assignment in the computer lab because my damn printer at home won't "communicate" with my hard-drive!

Oh well... I guess my self-assessment is a complete load of %$#@ now! Jennifer will see right through it anyways... Who did I think I could fool? Call me Kid Capricious

I need to remember that it's not ironic if it happens every day... Except if I'm cynically as humorous as I possibly can be. That was my goal today. Make as many humorous remarks as possible to divert attention away from my punctuality... I used that trick yesterday but mis-timed my remark about Dan Quayle. When will it end?

The little bambino 

The FIFA 100

Well, for those of you who enjoy the beautiful game, there's an interesting website that lists the 100 greatest footballers of all time. The absurdity of such a poll is no secret, and the fact that FIFA would go to great lengths to publicize it is also no surprise. However, the breakdown country by country is interesting. Of note to those who visit the website are the "modern" footballers that made the list while still plying their trade.

Here's a little taste... www.the-100.com

Hers is a Life Less Ordinary.

"Don't worry, there's some questions with a possible 'E' answer. I like to switch it up when you kids are least expecting it. You should recognize that by now and have been ready for it. You know this stuff anyway."

-Heather Ryan (Ph.D.) discusses with Dan Hanline and myself the finer points of making a multiple choice section on an exam (during the exam).

To Learn Is To Realize The Horrible Extent Of All That You Do Not Know

The theory "Ignorance is bliss" that is passed around campuses all over Canada is TRUE... according to one University of Regina College of Education professor. This profound recognition of one of the basic tenants of the English language is going to add fuel to the controversy surrounding the College of Education practice of "accepting" direct entry high school graduate applicants.

A professor at the University of Regina is finding the admission policies of the College of Education on that campus to be somewhat bias.

"The problem," states the Middle-Years Education professor, "is that the College is basing the fundamental principles of this policy on the financial realities that plague university campuses across Canada. They need the revenue that a four-year direct-entry student can generate for the College. Compare that revenue to that which could be generated in an 'after-degree' program and the 'after degree' program doesn't even come close."

"That's not a good enough reason," states a U of R 'after-degree' student who prefers to remain anonymous. "The fact that the College is considering students that haven't even taken any previous post-secondary courses is questionable in the nature of 'education' in and of itself. There are many capable potential educators that have taken a previous degree in another college that are having their applications rejected due to limited space within each subject area. These 'after-degree' applications are technically much stronger and bring much-needed life-experience to the field of education. Yet the policies that are dictating which students are accepted are complete rubbish, because these more experienced students can't bring in the financial revenue that the College of Education needs. The fact of the matter is these 'after-degree' applicants are bringing to the table diverse life-experiences and a maturity that can only be gained through years of post-secondary and occupational involvement. The direct-entry applications may be strong, but how strong in comparison to these other applications is not really even a rational argument. If I were to compare this to a 'real-world' job application, there wouldn't even be a question who would be picked for the position baring any extenuating circumstances."

The College of Education at the U of R is one of the last Canadian Education Colleges to accept direct-entry students into a four-year program. Most of the other Education Colleges across the country have gone to a transfer-type policy that allows for greater diversity within the applicant acceptance rate.

"The policies should be revised to have a more diverse background within the subject areas in the College. Or at least make the accepted applications an even split between the two groups," says one Secondary Education Professor. "In my classrooms I have two 'after-degree' students and fifteen direct-entry students, which doesn't cut it in my opinion. There needs to be a balance."

The U of R College of Education declined to comment.