I'm going to see one of my childhood icons perform next June!
Monday: I went to the SUNSCAD candidates' forum, which more or less didn't happen, as only one of two candidates showed up.
I then called Dal counselling services to see about setting up an appointment. Turns out, you have to set it up the day of if you want an appointment at the Dal campus.
I spent the rest of the day doing school work. That evening, one of Lynn's kids posted a photo on FB, with a caption talking about all that Lynn has been through in the last year (long story short, a lot) and wishing her a happy birthday. For most of the years that I've known Lynn I've looked up to her (those feelings gradually materialized over the first five or so years), and every so often something will come along that will remind me of said admiration (the best part is that she didn't do anything special to earn said admiration--just live her life and play the violin awesomely) and make me think about how lucky I am to know her. That caption was one such trigger, and I then went in search of awesome music to match my mood, which threatened to overwhelm me. Besides, I wanted to celebrate Lynn's birthday. Here are two of the pieces that I listened to:
These are not the recordings that I rocked out to that evening, though: my source was CBC Music, which is only available in Canada. This is the album that I listened to. If you're reading this in Canada, you can listen to it here on CBC Music. While the only-available-in-Canada factor sucks, it means that both Canucks and non-Canucks get to listen to Kristin Chenoweth's Glitter and be Gay, and who can argue with a voice like that--especially when its owner is so funny.
Tuesday: More schoolwork and prep for Wednesday.
In the evening, the Festival for Better Education arrived at its final stop, which was NSCAD, having marched to all the schools in Halifax and heard speakers at each one. Max Haiven and Sarah Trower (SUNSCAD president--this is her second year in that position) spoke at NSCAD, and I went to that part of the festival.
Wednesday: Once again, it was my group's turn to take the rest of the class through the week's chapter. Afterward, we each had an individual meeting with Adrian. I called Dal again and tried to set up an appointment for Thursday. No such luck. My meeting with Adrian went well--I had some questions, and I wanted to get a second opinion on the white balance of some of my photos (it's one of those things where one number can mean the difference between being too green or too magenta, and I can go back and forth and just about drive myself nuts trying to get the white balance just right). We ended up setting up an appointment for Monday to have a look at my images on the computers in the Photo Dept. computer lab.
Part of the afternoon was devoted to open studio, the other part being taken up by a guest speaker, Alan Griffiths, founder of Luminous Lint.
There was a GA that evening, but it was one of those times where a GA morphed into an info session--I don't even think quorum (four per cent of the student body--in NSCAD's case, that means forty students) was reached. They talked about the violence in Elsipogtog First Nation and what has happened since (neither the aboriginals nor SWN has budged) and about the bus trip some NSCADians took to that First Nation. Since hearing about the violence, I'd been trying to find out how it started, though I stayed away from news sources like CBC and CTV (some sources can be more than a little racist toward First Nations peoples). No such luck, so I asked at the GA. As I'd suspected, the violence was started by SWN trying to force out the protesters (typical, sadly). The closing of the Seeds Gallery was also discussed (SUNSCAD exec has had a really difficult time getting info as have the students in general--ahem--and SUNSCAD's phone calls haven't been returned). The drawing studio and woodshop on the first floor of the Granville Campus have been rented out, which means that classes were moved half-way through the semester, which is a big no-no. Some students have lost access to lockers and student work has been damaged. In other words, one major mistake after another. The higher-ups and those doing construction in NSCAD should know better. This is an art school, which means that there's artwork that students have laboured over for hours. Stuff that was done for school assignments, and I don't know how much of it had yet to be marked. Have any of the people who've done these things stopped to think about how much that would suck?? Okay, I'm done.
Thursday: I called Dal counselling once again, this time looking at setting up an appointment at NSCAD (one of the Dal counsellors comes to NSCAD every Tuesday). I got an email later that day with a time that was available, which I confirmed.
I spent the rest of the day doing work on my project.
Friday: More homework, including fiddling around with the white balance of another set of photos for my project and starting this week's reading. I also bought my first Neil Gaiman book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. However, I had yet to find out just how poor I am right now. It was worth it, though, as I've heard nothing but good things about Neil's work and I'm a huge fan of his wife, Amanda Palmer, to whom Ocean is dedicated (insert fangirl squeal here): "to Amanda, who wanted to know." In fact, it's thanks to her that I wanted to read the book and have been waiting since said book came out for the waiting list to get down to a manageable size in the NB and Halifax library systems. I checked this evening, and said waiting list is finally down to the single digits in NB (eight holds, twenty copies), though as of today all twenty are checked out/in transit/on hold.
That day I discovered that the CBC Music holiday streams, Seasonal Favourites and Classical Holidays (my favourite), are now available, and I've been listening to the latter stream almost nonstop ever since.
Saturday: I continued the reading (though not without having to do battle with the NSCAD proxy server, which was cantankerous even at school--there may have been more than the allotted twelve people on the server), and Mom ordered tickets for both of us to see Raffi in June. When I was a kid, he was one of the musicians whose tapes I played endlessly, and I still have many of his songs memorized, which will come in handy when I see him live (OH, MY GOD!!!!!!!).
When I was little, I didn't think about what he was doing for the world (not surprising--I was a kid). Once I became a big kid, though, he kind of got shoved to the back of my mind, and I didn't listen to his music quite so much. But a year or two ago, I rediscovered him and learned about what he's been doing through his organization, Child Honouring, and my respect for him is now so high it's probably sitting on Mt. Everest. I'm a fan once again, but my appreciation for him has matured: I love his music, yes, but I also admire what he's doing to make the world a better one for kids. If you happen to stumble across this, Raffi (as this is a public blog, you never know who's going to read it), thank you for the music and for everything else you've done. Can't wait to see you in June! As the concert's in between the date when I finish at NSCAD (the last teaching day is April seventeenth) and my birthday (July eighteenth), I'm treating it as a graduation and early birthday present. Thanks, Mom!
If you listen to only one of his songs, make it this one (referenced in the above interview). Fans like me--those who grew up with his music, are now in their twenties and thirties and who've perhaps passed their love for his music on to their kids--are known as Belugagrads, which is a reference to this song. And yes, I still know many of the lyrics.
This is the title track from an album that I used to play a lot (I probably still have the tape somewhere):
When I listened to this song Saturday night, I recognized the melody from somewhere else, but couldn't place it. I went over the melody in my head on the way home and turns out, it's the tune from Arkansas Traveler.
I admit that as I was choosing videos for this post, I was singing along. Yes, I do still have many of the words memorized--which will come in handy when I go to the concert.
Sunday: I finished the reading and edited photos for my APC project. At this point, I'm simply tweaking the colour and contrast--starting on Wednesday I'll be working with the images in Adobe Premiere.
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label politics. Show all posts
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
computers: awesome when they work, frustrating when they don't
This week was one of those where I blinked and it was over.
Monday: I've been having problems accessing the school proxy server from my apartment (one of the books we're reading in APC is Of Cigarettes, High Heels and Other Interesting Things: An Introduction to Semiotics, which is available through the NSCAD server), so I took my computer to the Port Campus to try to get the issue fixed. Unfortunately the server was down that day, so the IT guy, Tim, had his hands full and told me to come back the next day.
I then headed to the Granville Campus and to OSAS on the second floor: I desperately needed to talk with someone about the stuff that happened last Sunday. And this was one of those times when talking with Mom just wouldn't do (she's awesome, but there are times when I need to go to someone else). I met with Christina Warren, who replaced Bernadette Kehoe when Bernadette accepted a job at NSCC in Dartmouth this past summer. I started whimpering immediately as I told Christina what was going on. That turned into full-on sobbing which came and went throughout much of my time in her office. By the time our conversation turned to other things, I was feeling much better. I also told her a bit about myself--turns out she's an amateur violinist, too, so she completely understood me when I made a music analogy (I do that: because I've studied so many different performing and visual art disciplines, I see connections between them and will sometimes point out said connections)--and signed my page of the 2012 edition of Free Coffee. Christina wants to meet all the students who contributed to the publication last year, and I was the first. As someone who's never been asked for her autograph before, it made me feel like a star.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the student lounge and the SUNSCAD office.
Tuesday: I went back to Tim's office. Turns out, the port number in the URL was wrong.
My student loan had finally come in that morning. However, it was only the federal portion, which is way smaller than the provincial part. I didn't notice the memo saying "320 CANADA" in my online account info, so I thought that that was all I was getting for this semester--and that I needed to redo my budget, which I did.
Wednesday: The week I've been waiting for: after going through the week's reading we presented our ideas for our independent study projects. Mine will be about the importance of dance in my life. I'd originally planned to print the photos out, but because music is such a big component of the project, Adrian suggested showing the photos on a screen or with a projector and include the music with each photo. So a photo inspired by The Ballad of Revolt would be accompanied by that work. As someone who doesn't have anything to show photos on besides her computer, I was concerned about the logistics of displaying the project that way until Adrian said that NSCAD has projectors and monitors that I can use. He also talked about the cantankerousness of the NSCAD proxy server. Apparently it only lets up to twelve people log in at one time and it's less cantankerous on-campus.
That night the internet suddenly disappeared and there was nothing I could do to get it back.
Thursday: That morning I still wasn't able to access the internet, so after calling the NB student loan office and finding out that yes, I would be receiving more money in a couple days, I called EastLink (my service provider). They had me try a few things and then suggested that it might be the router, which I then replaced (free). I went back to my apartment, got the router activated and... still nothing. They then got a guy to come over to my apartment that evening. There went my plans to attend the Queer Collective meeting at NSCAD... He tried just about everything possible, and couldn't get the internet to work.
That afternoon, I visited the campaign office of Labi Kousoulis, who's the Liberal candidate for Halifax Citadel - Sable Island. I'd recently found out that yes, even though I'm a New Brunswicker and all my government ID has my NB address, I can vote in the NS provincial election. I just need to provide two pieces of NS ID, and my apartment lease, EastLink bill and student ID card count. I told one of the women there about the things that I'm concerned about, mainly education, NSCAD and the NDP's treatment of both. I also told her how impressed I am by the Liberals' education platform: this is the kind of stuff the NDP should be doing. I left with a magnet, brochure and an election sign--my first (it's totally fine to put them in apartment windows, though because my apartment's so high up it's more for my own enjoyment than anything else: soon after I taped it to my window, I looked up at said window from outside the building. All I could see was a white shape. However, when my building is casting a shadow on the side that I live, I can make out the red on the sign.).
Friday: I called Apple Support to sort out my internet problems. Because the AppleCare expired on my Mac earlier this month, I had to fork over some cash (less than a hundred, thankfully) and because I don't have a credit card, they made an exception and accepted my debit card. The issue was remedied by deleting a folder and then restarting the computer, and I wrote down the procedure just in case this happens again--and because I hate having to ask other people to solve simple tech problems for me.
I spent the afternoon at my favourite coffee shop, reading the chapter for APC, which at times was well beyond awesome.
Saturday: Another afternoon spent at my favourite coffee shop. This time I started putting together the playlist for my APC project. Whittling a playlist down is not easy when it contains so many awesome tracks.
Sunday: I finally started photographing for my project, having set a deadline of tomorrow. I also edited the photos, which presented the usual challenge of how to translate what I see in my head onto the computer screen.
Today was the BSO's first concert of the season--their one hundred and eighteenth, which at times is hard to believe--until I remind myself that they're the oldest community orchestra in the US. Congratulations, guys--and go violins! The first piece on the program was Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, which is one of my favourites.
This video, Maestro Richman's breakdown of what's going on this season, makes me ridiculously proud to be a fan of the Bangor Symphony. By the way, next May marks ten years since I became a fan.
Monday: I've been having problems accessing the school proxy server from my apartment (one of the books we're reading in APC is Of Cigarettes, High Heels and Other Interesting Things: An Introduction to Semiotics, which is available through the NSCAD server), so I took my computer to the Port Campus to try to get the issue fixed. Unfortunately the server was down that day, so the IT guy, Tim, had his hands full and told me to come back the next day.
I then headed to the Granville Campus and to OSAS on the second floor: I desperately needed to talk with someone about the stuff that happened last Sunday. And this was one of those times when talking with Mom just wouldn't do (she's awesome, but there are times when I need to go to someone else). I met with Christina Warren, who replaced Bernadette Kehoe when Bernadette accepted a job at NSCC in Dartmouth this past summer. I started whimpering immediately as I told Christina what was going on. That turned into full-on sobbing which came and went throughout much of my time in her office. By the time our conversation turned to other things, I was feeling much better. I also told her a bit about myself--turns out she's an amateur violinist, too, so she completely understood me when I made a music analogy (I do that: because I've studied so many different performing and visual art disciplines, I see connections between them and will sometimes point out said connections)--and signed my page of the 2012 edition of Free Coffee. Christina wants to meet all the students who contributed to the publication last year, and I was the first. As someone who's never been asked for her autograph before, it made me feel like a star.
I spent the rest of the day hanging out in the student lounge and the SUNSCAD office.
Tuesday: I went back to Tim's office. Turns out, the port number in the URL was wrong.
My student loan had finally come in that morning. However, it was only the federal portion, which is way smaller than the provincial part. I didn't notice the memo saying "320 CANADA" in my online account info, so I thought that that was all I was getting for this semester--and that I needed to redo my budget, which I did.
Wednesday: The week I've been waiting for: after going through the week's reading we presented our ideas for our independent study projects. Mine will be about the importance of dance in my life. I'd originally planned to print the photos out, but because music is such a big component of the project, Adrian suggested showing the photos on a screen or with a projector and include the music with each photo. So a photo inspired by The Ballad of Revolt would be accompanied by that work. As someone who doesn't have anything to show photos on besides her computer, I was concerned about the logistics of displaying the project that way until Adrian said that NSCAD has projectors and monitors that I can use. He also talked about the cantankerousness of the NSCAD proxy server. Apparently it only lets up to twelve people log in at one time and it's less cantankerous on-campus.
That night the internet suddenly disappeared and there was nothing I could do to get it back.
Thursday: That morning I still wasn't able to access the internet, so after calling the NB student loan office and finding out that yes, I would be receiving more money in a couple days, I called EastLink (my service provider). They had me try a few things and then suggested that it might be the router, which I then replaced (free). I went back to my apartment, got the router activated and... still nothing. They then got a guy to come over to my apartment that evening. There went my plans to attend the Queer Collective meeting at NSCAD... He tried just about everything possible, and couldn't get the internet to work.
That afternoon, I visited the campaign office of Labi Kousoulis, who's the Liberal candidate for Halifax Citadel - Sable Island. I'd recently found out that yes, even though I'm a New Brunswicker and all my government ID has my NB address, I can vote in the NS provincial election. I just need to provide two pieces of NS ID, and my apartment lease, EastLink bill and student ID card count. I told one of the women there about the things that I'm concerned about, mainly education, NSCAD and the NDP's treatment of both. I also told her how impressed I am by the Liberals' education platform: this is the kind of stuff the NDP should be doing. I left with a magnet, brochure and an election sign--my first (it's totally fine to put them in apartment windows, though because my apartment's so high up it's more for my own enjoyment than anything else: soon after I taped it to my window, I looked up at said window from outside the building. All I could see was a white shape. However, when my building is casting a shadow on the side that I live, I can make out the red on the sign.).
Friday: I called Apple Support to sort out my internet problems. Because the AppleCare expired on my Mac earlier this month, I had to fork over some cash (less than a hundred, thankfully) and because I don't have a credit card, they made an exception and accepted my debit card. The issue was remedied by deleting a folder and then restarting the computer, and I wrote down the procedure just in case this happens again--and because I hate having to ask other people to solve simple tech problems for me.
I spent the afternoon at my favourite coffee shop, reading the chapter for APC, which at times was well beyond awesome.
Saturday: Another afternoon spent at my favourite coffee shop. This time I started putting together the playlist for my APC project. Whittling a playlist down is not easy when it contains so many awesome tracks.
Sunday: I finally started photographing for my project, having set a deadline of tomorrow. I also edited the photos, which presented the usual challenge of how to translate what I see in my head onto the computer screen.
Today was the BSO's first concert of the season--their one hundred and eighteenth, which at times is hard to believe--until I remind myself that they're the oldest community orchestra in the US. Congratulations, guys--and go violins! The first piece on the program was Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture, which is one of my favourites.
This video, Maestro Richman's breakdown of what's going on this season, makes me ridiculously proud to be a fan of the Bangor Symphony. By the way, next May marks ten years since I became a fan.
Monday, August 19, 2013
PPS
I've been thinking even more about my personal boycott of the Olympics (maybe overthinking, but I don't care--it's my first time consciously ignoring the Games). I may keep an eye on if and how the anti-"gay propaganda" law is put into effect--for example, some athletes have pledged to wear rainbow pins during the Games. Would they be arrested for doing so? Though I'll try to stay away from official broadcasters (CBC, NBC, BBC, etc.).
Sunday, August 18, 2013
PS
While I'm not in favour of moving the Olympics back to Vancouver (sorry, George Takei--while I agree with him that action must be taken, finding accommodations for that many people and making other arrangements when Vancouver hasn't planned for it and would have only five-and-a-bit months to do so just isn't practical, even though the athletic facilities are there), I am in favour of a boycott, like what happened the last time Russia hosted the Games (Moscow, 1980). Yes, it would suck for the athletes and some might not get another chance at Olympic glory, but if it could happen in '76, '80 and '84, it can happen in '14.
losing faith in the Olympics one nutty move at a time
For the first time since I started watching the Olympics in '98 (Nagano), I will be completely ignoring the Games come February.
Russia recently passed a law that makes "promoting" homosexuality (e.g., waving a Pride flag) illegal, which in turn makes it dangerous for gay and lesbian athletes. For a while it looked like the athletes and spectators would be exempt from that law, but then the Kremlin backtracked: just because you're a guest who's competing here or watching the Games doesn't mean that you can wave that Pride flag. What makes it worse is that the IOC intends to do nothing.
Looking back through the history of the Games, though, I'm not surprised. My favourite example is the 1936 Berlin Games. While Berlin won the bid two years before Hitler came to power, the IOC did nothing--the Games went ahead as planned and Hitler tried to use them as a way to showcase the supposed superiority of white-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde-haired people, though that didn't quite work out. By still letting Sochi host the Games, the IOC is giving Russia (which doesn't exactly have a great human rights record) the go-ahead to validate the country's beliefs.
What also drives me nuts is Team USA's reaction: "While we strongly support equal rights for all, our mission is sustained competitive excellence and our focus will be to deliver a well prepared team and to put our athletes in a position to be the best they can be." In other words, winning is more important than equal rights and the safety of gay team members.
As mentioned earlier, the IOC's current plan is to do nothing--but by doing nothing they are complacent in Russia's actions. They're saying it's okay to beat people to a pulp just because of who they love and to deny them the right to said love. These are not just gay rights--they're human rights.
Over the years, I've become more aware of the issues surrounding the Games: who the sponsors are behind their glitzy façades, what actually happens to make the Games happen (people being told to move--which, sadly, seems to happen a lot when the Olympics come to town, and naturally the poor are the ones who are affected the most--spending money on the Games that would be better spent eradicating things like poverty, etc.). I fully support the ideals of the Games--but I don't support what actually happens and who benefits (the corporations, even more than the athletes). It's enough to drive me up the wall.
...as does Russia's anti-gay propaganda law. We all deserve to be allowed to love who we love and to say, "hey, I'm proud of who I am" without the fear that we'll be thrown in jail for displaying that pride or kissing or holding hands with our partner, regardless of the partner's sex. I've never wanted to go to Russia, but I want to go even less since this law came into effect. As someone who is definitely not straight (I currently identify as an asexual lesbian, though I'm living proof that sexual orientation is fluid), I would not feel safe in that country, even if I wasn't wearing anything with the gay pride colours on it (as a matter of fact, I bought my first gay and asexual pride pins this summer, and am in the process of designing an anti-Sochi '14 pin with--you guessed it--the gay pride colours).
I know that Russia isn't the only country with anti-gay laws: almost a hundred countries have laws that make it illegal to be gay--but those other countries won't be hosting the Olympics (and the world) next year.
By the way, I don't hate the country itself: Russia is home to two of the greatest ballet companies in the world (the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballet Companies--there are others in Russia, but those are the top two. From 1909 to 1929 there was also the the Ballets Russes, which is still highly-regarded in the ballet world.) and some of the greatest dancers ever--including my favourite, Rudolf Nureyev, who was gay. Tchaikovsky, who composed my favourite ballet (The Nutcracker) and other awesome gems was also Russian (and gay). And I support the ideals that the IOC supposedly stands for (their actions speak louder than words, unfortunately).
36 Photos from Russia that Everyone Needs to See (heartbreaking)
Gay Tourists in Russia Face Jail Time, Deportation
IOC Prohibits Athletes from Challenging anti-gay Russian law at Olympics
Russia and the IOC Agree: Athletes and Spectators shouldn't be openly gay at the Olympics
Russia recently passed a law that makes "promoting" homosexuality (e.g., waving a Pride flag) illegal, which in turn makes it dangerous for gay and lesbian athletes. For a while it looked like the athletes and spectators would be exempt from that law, but then the Kremlin backtracked: just because you're a guest who's competing here or watching the Games doesn't mean that you can wave that Pride flag. What makes it worse is that the IOC intends to do nothing.
Looking back through the history of the Games, though, I'm not surprised. My favourite example is the 1936 Berlin Games. While Berlin won the bid two years before Hitler came to power, the IOC did nothing--the Games went ahead as planned and Hitler tried to use them as a way to showcase the supposed superiority of white-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde-haired people, though that didn't quite work out. By still letting Sochi host the Games, the IOC is giving Russia (which doesn't exactly have a great human rights record) the go-ahead to validate the country's beliefs.
What also drives me nuts is Team USA's reaction: "While we strongly support equal rights for all, our mission is sustained competitive excellence and our focus will be to deliver a well prepared team and to put our athletes in a position to be the best they can be." In other words, winning is more important than equal rights and the safety of gay team members.
As mentioned earlier, the IOC's current plan is to do nothing--but by doing nothing they are complacent in Russia's actions. They're saying it's okay to beat people to a pulp just because of who they love and to deny them the right to said love. These are not just gay rights--they're human rights.
Over the years, I've become more aware of the issues surrounding the Games: who the sponsors are behind their glitzy façades, what actually happens to make the Games happen (people being told to move--which, sadly, seems to happen a lot when the Olympics come to town, and naturally the poor are the ones who are affected the most--spending money on the Games that would be better spent eradicating things like poverty, etc.). I fully support the ideals of the Games--but I don't support what actually happens and who benefits (the corporations, even more than the athletes). It's enough to drive me up the wall.
...as does Russia's anti-gay propaganda law. We all deserve to be allowed to love who we love and to say, "hey, I'm proud of who I am" without the fear that we'll be thrown in jail for displaying that pride or kissing or holding hands with our partner, regardless of the partner's sex. I've never wanted to go to Russia, but I want to go even less since this law came into effect. As someone who is definitely not straight (I currently identify as an asexual lesbian, though I'm living proof that sexual orientation is fluid), I would not feel safe in that country, even if I wasn't wearing anything with the gay pride colours on it (as a matter of fact, I bought my first gay and asexual pride pins this summer, and am in the process of designing an anti-Sochi '14 pin with--you guessed it--the gay pride colours).
I know that Russia isn't the only country with anti-gay laws: almost a hundred countries have laws that make it illegal to be gay--but those other countries won't be hosting the Olympics (and the world) next year.
By the way, I don't hate the country itself: Russia is home to two of the greatest ballet companies in the world (the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Ballet Companies--there are others in Russia, but those are the top two. From 1909 to 1929 there was also the the Ballets Russes, which is still highly-regarded in the ballet world.) and some of the greatest dancers ever--including my favourite, Rudolf Nureyev, who was gay. Tchaikovsky, who composed my favourite ballet (The Nutcracker) and other awesome gems was also Russian (and gay). And I support the ideals that the IOC supposedly stands for (their actions speak louder than words, unfortunately).
36 Photos from Russia that Everyone Needs to See (heartbreaking)
Gay Tourists in Russia Face Jail Time, Deportation
IOC Prohibits Athletes from Challenging anti-gay Russian law at Olympics
Russia and the IOC Agree: Athletes and Spectators shouldn't be openly gay at the Olympics
Monday, March 11, 2013
well, that's over with
Like the one that I wrote on February 11th, this post is dedicated to FUNSCAD--this time to the members of Unit I.
---
This week has been incredibly stressful, and from Tuesday to Thursday I wasn't sure where one day ended and the next began. They all blurred together in my mind and it was only when I went back and reread my Facebook statuses on Friday evening that I managed to sort it all out.
Also, correction: last week I wrote, "One of the issues that FUNSCAD I is fighting is the fact that the administration is trying to prevent part-time and regular part-time faculty (part-time has three different levels, and from there it gets rather complex) from being on-campus outside the regular semester, which doesn't bode well for students who want to meet with a part-timer in the summer." This would only apply to faculty members who aren't employed by the school during those months.
Monday: We watched an NFB movie about Marshall McLuhan.
After class I picked up Anna's Instax camera at the Port Campus.
Tuesday: I spent the afternoon doing homework, including visiting the Saint Mary's University Art Gallery to take notes for the second gallery review.
That evening we had another GA. I went early because I wanted to photograph for my project for the WftA show. In addition to photographing the quirks and other things that make NSCAD special, I'm going to try to photograph as many of the departments as possible. This is a daunting task because the departments are spread over three campuses, and Granville is a maze. Also, I don't know where many of the departments are--I probably only know a quarter of Granville, if that.
The GA was a long one--two hours--but we decided our next direct action. We're going to wrap the NSCAD lions--a gift from the NS government--in red fabric (representing the school's debt, which is less than other NS universities, though we're being bullied more), à la Christo and Jeanne-Claude. We're also going to tie pieces of red fabric to the Province House fence, in a sense tying our debt to the government. And we'll play Red Rover and call the government over.
Wednesday: That day FUNSCAD I's strike became legal at 1:30 PM. I went to school early and stopped at the SUNSCAD office to see if there was any news. The strike vote would happen at 4:00 that afternoon. More waiting. Ugh. I spent the afternoon doing more homework and waiting impatiently. I also came up with a plan, should FUNSCAD go on strike: get as much work as possible done (due to no classes, I'd have a bunch of free time that I'm not used to right now, and I'd need a way to fill it, even though the year would be extended to make up for lost time), and spend as much time as possible on the picket line in solidarity. When 4:00 rolled around, I started checking my school email obsessively. I finally got a message from SUNSCAD's president, Sarah, but it was rather cryptic, so on my way out I stopped by the student union office.
Graphics was cancelled that evening. No reason was given. While I love that class, due to my homework situation I didn't mind: that was three more hours in which to get stuff done.
Thursday: We presented our second projects for Reconfigured Image. This particular crit had us going all over the photo dept.: the finishing room, the classroom and the computer lab. Mine went very well.
That evening the previous two days caught up with me and I snapped: "[I am] going to be VERY happy to sleep in this weekend. All this strike-related stress has taken its tole, as has the homework. I will be SO glad when I get the final word about Funscad from either them or S.U.N.S.C.A.D. I don't want the teachers to go on strike, but at this point just KNOWING either way is good enough." Not long after that Facebook status update, the news started coming in: a tentative agreement between the school and the faculty union had been reached. At first the news (posted on the university's Twitter account and copied and pasted to the SUNSCAD Facebook group) was a bit cryptic--knowing how unions work, I had a feeling that it meant that there wasn't going to be a strike, but I wasn't sure. But then the university's Facebook status was updated with a clearer message: "Breaking news! NSCAD University and FUNSCAD Unit 1, representing faculty members and librarians, have reached a tentative agreement, subject to ratification." When I read that, I started crying out of relief and joy. By that point, I was up past my bedtime and I knew I'd be exhausted the next morning, but I celebrated by dancing around my room to Sham Rock's version of I'll Tell Me Ma.
Friday: And yes, I was tired. The fact that class started at the time listed on the schedule (8:30 AM) rather than 9:00 didn't help matters. Class was devoted to research presentations for our final focus papers.
Anna gave us the rundown of what's left and two groups presented.
Understandably, both she and Bob were both super-relieved that they didn't have to be on the picket line that afternoon: Bob said that he was very happy about the fact that he'd be in his office that afternoon and at the end of WftA, Anna told us to enjoy the weekend--"and no strike!" That got applause from some of us, including me, and I threw in a cheer.
Saturday: As for me, I was very happy to sleep in that day: the previous three nights I'd gotten eight or fewer hours of sleep, and by Friday night I was exhausted.
I spent the day listening to opera and studying.
Sunday: More studying. I somehow managed to get everything crossed off my to-do list by Sunday night.
That evening, I hunkered down with Jack, a biopic about Jack Layton produced by the CBC. It brought back many memories, both happy and sad, of the Orange Crush and Jack's death. While I'd heard about some inaccuracies, the movie was very well done: well-directed, -acted and if you didn't know better, you would've thought that that was Jack (in real life, Rick Roberts doesn't look anything like him). The movie reminded me why I was so proud to cast my ballot for the NDP in the '11 election.
I also struggled to write this post: when it was just about ready to be published, something happened (I'm blaming Blogger) and I lost everything and had to start from scratch. Two hours of writing--gone. This has never happened before, and I've been writing this blog for four years as of today (yay!). I managed to rewrite pretty much everything in about an hour, but by that point it was almost two AM, I was wiped and I needed to get up reasonably early today, so I put off proofreading and posting until now.
---
This week has been incredibly stressful, and from Tuesday to Thursday I wasn't sure where one day ended and the next began. They all blurred together in my mind and it was only when I went back and reread my Facebook statuses on Friday evening that I managed to sort it all out.
Also, correction: last week I wrote, "One of the issues that FUNSCAD I is fighting is the fact that the administration is trying to prevent part-time and regular part-time faculty (part-time has three different levels, and from there it gets rather complex) from being on-campus outside the regular semester, which doesn't bode well for students who want to meet with a part-timer in the summer." This would only apply to faculty members who aren't employed by the school during those months.
Monday: We watched an NFB movie about Marshall McLuhan.
After class I picked up Anna's Instax camera at the Port Campus.
Tuesday: I spent the afternoon doing homework, including visiting the Saint Mary's University Art Gallery to take notes for the second gallery review.
That evening we had another GA. I went early because I wanted to photograph for my project for the WftA show. In addition to photographing the quirks and other things that make NSCAD special, I'm going to try to photograph as many of the departments as possible. This is a daunting task because the departments are spread over three campuses, and Granville is a maze. Also, I don't know where many of the departments are--I probably only know a quarter of Granville, if that.
The GA was a long one--two hours--but we decided our next direct action. We're going to wrap the NSCAD lions--a gift from the NS government--in red fabric (representing the school's debt, which is less than other NS universities, though we're being bullied more), à la Christo and Jeanne-Claude. We're also going to tie pieces of red fabric to the Province House fence, in a sense tying our debt to the government. And we'll play Red Rover and call the government over.
Wednesday: That day FUNSCAD I's strike became legal at 1:30 PM. I went to school early and stopped at the SUNSCAD office to see if there was any news. The strike vote would happen at 4:00 that afternoon. More waiting. Ugh. I spent the afternoon doing more homework and waiting impatiently. I also came up with a plan, should FUNSCAD go on strike: get as much work as possible done (due to no classes, I'd have a bunch of free time that I'm not used to right now, and I'd need a way to fill it, even though the year would be extended to make up for lost time), and spend as much time as possible on the picket line in solidarity. When 4:00 rolled around, I started checking my school email obsessively. I finally got a message from SUNSCAD's president, Sarah, but it was rather cryptic, so on my way out I stopped by the student union office.
Graphics was cancelled that evening. No reason was given. While I love that class, due to my homework situation I didn't mind: that was three more hours in which to get stuff done.
Thursday: We presented our second projects for Reconfigured Image. This particular crit had us going all over the photo dept.: the finishing room, the classroom and the computer lab. Mine went very well.
That evening the previous two days caught up with me and I snapped: "[I am] going to be VERY happy to sleep in this weekend. All this strike-related stress has taken its tole, as has the homework. I will be SO glad when I get the final word about Funscad from either them or S.U.N.S.C.A.D. I don't want the teachers to go on strike, but at this point just KNOWING either way is good enough." Not long after that Facebook status update, the news started coming in: a tentative agreement between the school and the faculty union had been reached. At first the news (posted on the university's Twitter account and copied and pasted to the SUNSCAD Facebook group) was a bit cryptic--knowing how unions work, I had a feeling that it meant that there wasn't going to be a strike, but I wasn't sure. But then the university's Facebook status was updated with a clearer message: "Breaking news! NSCAD University and FUNSCAD Unit 1, representing faculty members and librarians, have reached a tentative agreement, subject to ratification." When I read that, I started crying out of relief and joy. By that point, I was up past my bedtime and I knew I'd be exhausted the next morning, but I celebrated by dancing around my room to Sham Rock's version of I'll Tell Me Ma.
Friday: And yes, I was tired. The fact that class started at the time listed on the schedule (8:30 AM) rather than 9:00 didn't help matters. Class was devoted to research presentations for our final focus papers.
Anna gave us the rundown of what's left and two groups presented.
Understandably, both she and Bob were both super-relieved that they didn't have to be on the picket line that afternoon: Bob said that he was very happy about the fact that he'd be in his office that afternoon and at the end of WftA, Anna told us to enjoy the weekend--"and no strike!" That got applause from some of us, including me, and I threw in a cheer.
Saturday: As for me, I was very happy to sleep in that day: the previous three nights I'd gotten eight or fewer hours of sleep, and by Friday night I was exhausted.
I spent the day listening to opera and studying.
Sunday: More studying. I somehow managed to get everything crossed off my to-do list by Sunday night.
That evening, I hunkered down with Jack, a biopic about Jack Layton produced by the CBC. It brought back many memories, both happy and sad, of the Orange Crush and Jack's death. While I'd heard about some inaccuracies, the movie was very well done: well-directed, -acted and if you didn't know better, you would've thought that that was Jack (in real life, Rick Roberts doesn't look anything like him). The movie reminded me why I was so proud to cast my ballot for the NDP in the '11 election.
I also struggled to write this post: when it was just about ready to be published, something happened (I'm blaming Blogger) and I lost everything and had to start from scratch. Two hours of writing--gone. This has never happened before, and I've been writing this blog for four years as of today (yay!). I managed to rewrite pretty much everything in about an hour, but by that point it was almost two AM, I was wiped and I needed to get up reasonably early today, so I put off proofreading and posting until now.
Monday, February 11, 2013
sol! sol! sol! solidarity!*
This post is dedicated to the awesome members of Unit II of the Faculty Union of NSCAD.
---
This week has been insanely exciting and stressful. Words cannot fully describe what I've experienced and felt, but I'll do my best.
Monday: I applied to graduate! Class of '13, here I come!
We spent much of Reconfigured Image dissecting a reading that Bob had given us on Thursday.
Tuesday: I spent most of the day doing homework and then in the evening went to NSCAD and helped make signs for Wednesday's march to Province House.
Wednesday: Manifesto Delivery Day. By the time I got to NSCAD, I was beyond ready to march. I chose a sign, waited for a bit, and then the Canadian Federation of Students' Maritimes Organizer, Rebecca Rose, led us in our first chant in the student lounge ("we're fired up, can't take it no more"). After that, we headed out and over to Province House, chanting the whole time. I'd brought my point 'n' shoot and I took a few photos. As I chanted, I wondered if I was going to go hoarse from it all.
The first few protesters had some issues getting into the Province House parking lot, but the rest of us were okay (the authorities had figured out what was going on by that point). We presented the manifesto not to Premier Derrel Dexter, but to Leonard Preyra, the MLA who represents Halifax Citadel-Sable Island, which is the riding that NSCAD's in. He made a small speech, but while it sounded okay, it was basically lip service. As we chanted, "Derrel Dexter shame on you! Shame on you for turning blue!" (Blue is the colour of the Conservative Party, and the NS NDP is more Conservative than it is NDP.) And yes, we booed and jeered at a couple of his statements. We then headed back to NSCAD, chanting the whole way. And who was watching us from an upper window but Premier Dexter... We finished in the Granville Campus courtyard and chanted "we support you Unit II!" You can see photos from the march here and here. I found out later that there'd been about two hundred people at the protest. In addition to NSCADians, some folks from King's and Dalhousie universities showed up in solidarity. Although it was a cold day, I didn't feel cold and I ended up not putting on my gloves. I think it was because a. we were in a fairly sheltered area the whole time, and b. I was so focused on the march that I completely forgot about the subzero temperature.
After all that, I spent the afternoon getting work done--and basking in the high that the protest had induced.
In the evening, we had yet another GA--but I had to leave before it had really started because I had Graphics in the Port Campus (apparently the Port computer lab was the only one available).
Class was spent working out the kinks in our projects.
I was so nervous about FUNSCAD II, whether they'd end up with a good deal and whether there'd be a strike that I barely slept that night.
Thursday: As soon as I got up, I checked my school email. SUNSCAD had sent out the minutes from the GA, so I read them--and then I kept refreshing the inbox, hoping for news about FUNSCAD II's strike situation. Nothing. Check again two minutes later: still nothing.
When I got to school, I immediately headed to the Photo Dept.'s computer lab because I wanted to print one of my photos from the march and give it to the Photo studio techs because they're awesome. I was in a major rush because the strike would be legal as of 12:42 PM/11:42 AM EST. When I gave it to Chris (one of the four techs) after trimming it, he said that the union and administration had reached a tentative agreement--and that there wouldn't be a strike. I was so relieved and happy that I could barely speak for a few seconds. I then grabbed lunch and went to class, brimming with excitement. I found out later that the deal had been struck at four in the morning. All but one of the Photo techs went home to get some much-needed and -deserved sleep. Alex was the one left in charge, so he was a bit hard to track down sometimes because he was doing the work of four techs. Go Alex! Click here to see FUNSCAD's update/thank-you note that they posted on Facebook. The last paragraph: "Finally, a huge thank you to SUNSCAD and our incredible and active NSCAD students! You came out in impressive numbers to express your support for Unit II, and we couldn't do this without you. Your letters to the NSCAD President and Administration makes clear the importance of Unit II staff, and the indispensable role that Unit II fulfills at this school. We extend our sincere gratitude to each individual student who supported FUNSCAD with their words of encouragement and expressions of solidarity." Aww... You're welcome!
One of the students hadn't presented her last project, so she presented it. We also discussed our current projects and watched a movie that was made completely out of still images.
Several times throughout the day, I wanted to cry. When I got home, I couldn't hold it in anymore and I let loose and sobbed out of overwhelming joy and relief.
Just so you know, the battle isn't over yet: FUNSCAD I (the teachers' union) is currently in conciliation, and the earliest that they could strike is just when the students are coming back after the break.
Friday: Back to earth with a bump. I'd regained some of the sleep that I missed on Wednesday night, but I wasn't back up to 100% yet.
Obsolescence was pretty much the same as usual, though we got to watch a movie, and Bob handed back our first essays (I didn't do too badly). We have to write another one this week as well as a brief proposal for the final essay.
Writing ended up being almost completely devoted to this week's presentation, which was a long (but fascinating) one.
Saturday: NSCAD, like all the other post-secondary schools in Halifax, closed due to winter storm Nemo. I spent the day trying to get myself to tackle that mountain of homework (I managed to get a little of it done) and celebrating FUNSCAD II. Mom called early that afternoon, which was the first time that I'd heard her voice since Christmas Break.
Sunday: Yesterday's celebration was fun and all, but I really needed to get back to work today. And I did: that mountain of homework is looking a little less like Everest and a little more like Katahdin at this point.
Next week I'll be home for the break. I admit that it snuck up on me, probably because I'm so used to NB's first-week-in-March break. This week's non-homework priority: buying my bus ticket.
Here are videos of the protest:
The last video was at the Granville Campus.
The Ode to Joy from Beethoven's ninth pretty much sums up what I felt that day:
*Another of our chants.
---
This week has been insanely exciting and stressful. Words cannot fully describe what I've experienced and felt, but I'll do my best.
Monday: I applied to graduate! Class of '13, here I come!
We spent much of Reconfigured Image dissecting a reading that Bob had given us on Thursday.
Tuesday: I spent most of the day doing homework and then in the evening went to NSCAD and helped make signs for Wednesday's march to Province House.
Wednesday: Manifesto Delivery Day. By the time I got to NSCAD, I was beyond ready to march. I chose a sign, waited for a bit, and then the Canadian Federation of Students' Maritimes Organizer, Rebecca Rose, led us in our first chant in the student lounge ("we're fired up, can't take it no more"). After that, we headed out and over to Province House, chanting the whole time. I'd brought my point 'n' shoot and I took a few photos. As I chanted, I wondered if I was going to go hoarse from it all.
The first few protesters had some issues getting into the Province House parking lot, but the rest of us were okay (the authorities had figured out what was going on by that point). We presented the manifesto not to Premier Derrel Dexter, but to Leonard Preyra, the MLA who represents Halifax Citadel-Sable Island, which is the riding that NSCAD's in. He made a small speech, but while it sounded okay, it was basically lip service. As we chanted, "Derrel Dexter shame on you! Shame on you for turning blue!" (Blue is the colour of the Conservative Party, and the NS NDP is more Conservative than it is NDP.) And yes, we booed and jeered at a couple of his statements. We then headed back to NSCAD, chanting the whole way. And who was watching us from an upper window but Premier Dexter... We finished in the Granville Campus courtyard and chanted "we support you Unit II!" You can see photos from the march here and here. I found out later that there'd been about two hundred people at the protest. In addition to NSCADians, some folks from King's and Dalhousie universities showed up in solidarity. Although it was a cold day, I didn't feel cold and I ended up not putting on my gloves. I think it was because a. we were in a fairly sheltered area the whole time, and b. I was so focused on the march that I completely forgot about the subzero temperature.
After all that, I spent the afternoon getting work done--and basking in the high that the protest had induced.
In the evening, we had yet another GA--but I had to leave before it had really started because I had Graphics in the Port Campus (apparently the Port computer lab was the only one available).
Class was spent working out the kinks in our projects.
I was so nervous about FUNSCAD II, whether they'd end up with a good deal and whether there'd be a strike that I barely slept that night.
Thursday: As soon as I got up, I checked my school email. SUNSCAD had sent out the minutes from the GA, so I read them--and then I kept refreshing the inbox, hoping for news about FUNSCAD II's strike situation. Nothing. Check again two minutes later: still nothing.
When I got to school, I immediately headed to the Photo Dept.'s computer lab because I wanted to print one of my photos from the march and give it to the Photo studio techs because they're awesome. I was in a major rush because the strike would be legal as of 12:42 PM/11:42 AM EST. When I gave it to Chris (one of the four techs) after trimming it, he said that the union and administration had reached a tentative agreement--and that there wouldn't be a strike. I was so relieved and happy that I could barely speak for a few seconds. I then grabbed lunch and went to class, brimming with excitement. I found out later that the deal had been struck at four in the morning. All but one of the Photo techs went home to get some much-needed and -deserved sleep. Alex was the one left in charge, so he was a bit hard to track down sometimes because he was doing the work of four techs. Go Alex! Click here to see FUNSCAD's update/thank-you note that they posted on Facebook. The last paragraph: "Finally, a huge thank you to SUNSCAD and our incredible and active NSCAD students! You came out in impressive numbers to express your support for Unit II, and we couldn't do this without you. Your letters to the NSCAD President and Administration makes clear the importance of Unit II staff, and the indispensable role that Unit II fulfills at this school. We extend our sincere gratitude to each individual student who supported FUNSCAD with their words of encouragement and expressions of solidarity." Aww... You're welcome!
One of the students hadn't presented her last project, so she presented it. We also discussed our current projects and watched a movie that was made completely out of still images.
Several times throughout the day, I wanted to cry. When I got home, I couldn't hold it in anymore and I let loose and sobbed out of overwhelming joy and relief.
Just so you know, the battle isn't over yet: FUNSCAD I (the teachers' union) is currently in conciliation, and the earliest that they could strike is just when the students are coming back after the break.
Friday: Back to earth with a bump. I'd regained some of the sleep that I missed on Wednesday night, but I wasn't back up to 100% yet.
Obsolescence was pretty much the same as usual, though we got to watch a movie, and Bob handed back our first essays (I didn't do too badly). We have to write another one this week as well as a brief proposal for the final essay.
Writing ended up being almost completely devoted to this week's presentation, which was a long (but fascinating) one.
Saturday: NSCAD, like all the other post-secondary schools in Halifax, closed due to winter storm Nemo. I spent the day trying to get myself to tackle that mountain of homework (I managed to get a little of it done) and celebrating FUNSCAD II. Mom called early that afternoon, which was the first time that I'd heard her voice since Christmas Break.
Sunday: Yesterday's celebration was fun and all, but I really needed to get back to work today. And I did: that mountain of homework is looking a little less like Everest and a little more like Katahdin at this point.
Next week I'll be home for the break. I admit that it snuck up on me, probably because I'm so used to NB's first-week-in-March break. This week's non-homework priority: buying my bus ticket.
Here are videos of the protest:
The last video was at the Granville Campus.
The Ode to Joy from Beethoven's ninth pretty much sums up what I felt that day:
*Another of our chants.
Monday, October 8, 2012
NSCAD: fun/awesome things happen here
This weekend was my first time celebrating Thanksgiving away from home. But it wasn't too bad.
Monday: I spent most of the day in the darkroom, reprinting yet again for Intro Photo.
That evening, SUNSCAD held a general assembly (GA), which I went to. The main topic was the Framework for Sustainability and voting no confidence on the Framework (which FUNSCAD 1, the teachers' union, has already done. FUNSCAD 2 is the studio technicians' union, by the way.). It involved a lot of debate, several amendments and amendments-to-amendments of the "be it resolved" part of the motion, but the GA and participating in democracy without the unfairness that is prevalent in the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system that Canada uses (it's also used in most American elections) gave me a rush. This is what democracy looks and feels like.
Tuesday: We all reread this week's handout in class, making notes on things that we wanted to talk about, and then discussing them. We then watched a movie about the Nazi concentration camps and discussed that.
Since starting classes at NSCAD, I've been thinking about running for SUNSCAD, as I've been very inspired by what they do. The Student Union of NSCAD isn't afraid to get their hands dirty: they will fight for their school and the rights of their fellow students. Since I got my first taste of SUNSCAD on Orientation Day, I've been thinking about getting involved in the union--of actually running in the election, which is something that I've never done before. Prior to this year, I've never taken much of an interest in school politics (NBCCD's Student Representative Council, while they did an excellent job of representing their fellow students, wasn't exactly interested in challenging the status quo, which I understand because NBCCD is doing very well--they haven't had to deal with people not doing their jobs or a lack of money), so it's been a surprise to me as well.
So that day I told one of the executives that I was interested in running, and she gave me a nomination form. There are a bunch of positions that I could run for, including Media Arts rep (the division that the Photography Dept. is in) and Mature Students rep, so I chose randomly: Students Living in Residence rep.
Wednesday: We finished the perfect binding books. Mine didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, binding-wise, but they could've been worse: getting the width of the spine of the cover just right is a pain. Too loose and the book will fall apart (everything's just held together with PVC glue), too tight and the pages won't fit.
After class, I walked back to my place, as I hadn't packed my SLR and I wanted to shoot a roll of film. I shot the roll on my way back to school.
That evening was the first meeting of the NSCAD Dance and Movement Club where we actually danced. This meeting was more about exploring and experimenting with different ways of movement.
Thursday: Bob had planned to take us to the Dalhousie Arts Centre (home to Symphony Nova Scotia, FYI) last week, but we ran out of time. This week, we were able to make the trip. The show (which is a group show) blew me away, and I felt that if I were to truly appreciate it, I'd have to stay there much longer than I did. It was very avant-garde, modern and cool, and was comprised of many different media: photography, fluorescent bulbs, sound, glass, video...
Friday: That day was a working class, and I'm finally getting the hang of NSCAD's Saunders/LPL enlargers. After three years of working with NBCCD's Durst enlargers, I'm used to working with that brand and know what settings to use in order to get the results that I want, and I've had to transfer those three years of experience with one brand to another brand that works in a completely different way. I've learned that I have to use a higher-contrast filter than I did with the Dursts (I generally used either a 2.5 or a 3; with the Saunders/LPLs it's more along the lines of a 3 or a 4) in order to get the same results.
Due to all that work, I was late to the SUNSCAD election meeting. The meeting was mandatory, but only a handful of people bothered to show up, so the fact that I showed up was good enough. We were given the rundown of what's going to happen over the next few weeks and what we need to do.
Saturday: I spent most of the day migrating all my data from my old, orange-juice-filled computer to my new one with Tom's help.
Late in the afternoon, I started to feel the early signs of a cold. Me being me, I tried to deny that I was getting sick.
Sunday: Okay, yeah, it's a cold. Thankfully, I was still well enough to do homework.
I spent much of the afternoon shooting the final roll for Intro Photo and developing it and roll #2. I plan to print the photos on Wednesday afternoon.
That afternoon was also the Bangor Symphony's first concert of the 117th season. As a result, I had An American in Paris (which was on the program) going through my head for several hours. Here are some (more like three hundred and eighty-nine) photos that were taken during rehearsal and the concert. Most of them are good, especially given the fact that stage lighting is extremely high-contrast, and therefore very difficult to photograph in, but a handful of the photos left me wondering, "why did that photo make it into the final batch?" For some, it was the technical aspect that was missing (metering issues/blowout, motion blur that didn't look deliberate, occasional incorrect-looking white balance), but for others, it was more the artistic side that was lacking. Yes, it's documentary-style photography, but there's still an art to it.
But as a proud New Brunswicker, I love the fact that the BSO uses Sabian cymbals. Sabian is based in Meductic, NB, and they make some of the best cymbals you can get. Unfortunately, since there isn't anything written on the BSO's cymbals aside from the Sabian logo, I can't tell which model they are.
And because it's Thanksgiving here in Canada (happy Columbus Day to my American readers), here's this year's list of what I'm thankful for:
Monday: I spent most of the day in the darkroom, reprinting yet again for Intro Photo.
That evening, SUNSCAD held a general assembly (GA), which I went to. The main topic was the Framework for Sustainability and voting no confidence on the Framework (which FUNSCAD 1, the teachers' union, has already done. FUNSCAD 2 is the studio technicians' union, by the way.). It involved a lot of debate, several amendments and amendments-to-amendments of the "be it resolved" part of the motion, but the GA and participating in democracy without the unfairness that is prevalent in the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system that Canada uses (it's also used in most American elections) gave me a rush. This is what democracy looks and feels like.
Tuesday: We all reread this week's handout in class, making notes on things that we wanted to talk about, and then discussing them. We then watched a movie about the Nazi concentration camps and discussed that.
Since starting classes at NSCAD, I've been thinking about running for SUNSCAD, as I've been very inspired by what they do. The Student Union of NSCAD isn't afraid to get their hands dirty: they will fight for their school and the rights of their fellow students. Since I got my first taste of SUNSCAD on Orientation Day, I've been thinking about getting involved in the union--of actually running in the election, which is something that I've never done before. Prior to this year, I've never taken much of an interest in school politics (NBCCD's Student Representative Council, while they did an excellent job of representing their fellow students, wasn't exactly interested in challenging the status quo, which I understand because NBCCD is doing very well--they haven't had to deal with people not doing their jobs or a lack of money), so it's been a surprise to me as well.
So that day I told one of the executives that I was interested in running, and she gave me a nomination form. There are a bunch of positions that I could run for, including Media Arts rep (the division that the Photography Dept. is in) and Mature Students rep, so I chose randomly: Students Living in Residence rep.
Wednesday: We finished the perfect binding books. Mine didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped, binding-wise, but they could've been worse: getting the width of the spine of the cover just right is a pain. Too loose and the book will fall apart (everything's just held together with PVC glue), too tight and the pages won't fit.
After class, I walked back to my place, as I hadn't packed my SLR and I wanted to shoot a roll of film. I shot the roll on my way back to school.
That evening was the first meeting of the NSCAD Dance and Movement Club where we actually danced. This meeting was more about exploring and experimenting with different ways of movement.
Thursday: Bob had planned to take us to the Dalhousie Arts Centre (home to Symphony Nova Scotia, FYI) last week, but we ran out of time. This week, we were able to make the trip. The show (which is a group show) blew me away, and I felt that if I were to truly appreciate it, I'd have to stay there much longer than I did. It was very avant-garde, modern and cool, and was comprised of many different media: photography, fluorescent bulbs, sound, glass, video...
Friday: That day was a working class, and I'm finally getting the hang of NSCAD's Saunders/LPL enlargers. After three years of working with NBCCD's Durst enlargers, I'm used to working with that brand and know what settings to use in order to get the results that I want, and I've had to transfer those three years of experience with one brand to another brand that works in a completely different way. I've learned that I have to use a higher-contrast filter than I did with the Dursts (I generally used either a 2.5 or a 3; with the Saunders/LPLs it's more along the lines of a 3 or a 4) in order to get the same results.
Due to all that work, I was late to the SUNSCAD election meeting. The meeting was mandatory, but only a handful of people bothered to show up, so the fact that I showed up was good enough. We were given the rundown of what's going to happen over the next few weeks and what we need to do.
Saturday: I spent most of the day migrating all my data from my old, orange-juice-filled computer to my new one with Tom's help.
Late in the afternoon, I started to feel the early signs of a cold. Me being me, I tried to deny that I was getting sick.
Sunday: Okay, yeah, it's a cold. Thankfully, I was still well enough to do homework.
I spent much of the afternoon shooting the final roll for Intro Photo and developing it and roll #2. I plan to print the photos on Wednesday afternoon.
That afternoon was also the Bangor Symphony's first concert of the 117th season. As a result, I had An American in Paris (which was on the program) going through my head for several hours. Here are some (more like three hundred and eighty-nine) photos that were taken during rehearsal and the concert. Most of them are good, especially given the fact that stage lighting is extremely high-contrast, and therefore very difficult to photograph in, but a handful of the photos left me wondering, "why did that photo make it into the final batch?" For some, it was the technical aspect that was missing (metering issues/blowout, motion blur that didn't look deliberate, occasional incorrect-looking white balance), but for others, it was more the artistic side that was lacking. Yes, it's documentary-style photography, but there's still an art to it.
But as a proud New Brunswicker, I love the fact that the BSO uses Sabian cymbals. Sabian is based in Meductic, NB, and they make some of the best cymbals you can get. Unfortunately, since there isn't anything written on the BSO's cymbals aside from the Sabian logo, I can't tell which model they are.
And because it's Thanksgiving here in Canada (happy Columbus Day to my American readers), here's this year's list of what I'm thankful for:
- SUNSCAD
- NSCAD
- The fact that SUNSCAD is very political and not afraid to get it's hands dirty
- The cool things that NSCAD students and supporters do (e.g., ANNAmotion LOGOmotion)
- The liberalness of Halifax
- The Bangor Symphony (and their awesome violin section)
- The Passamaquoddy Bay Symphony
- NBCCD
- My three years at NBCCD, what I learned there and the experiences that I had
- The NBCCD faculty, especially the photo faculty
- My knowledge of B&W film photography
- The fact that film photography is still taught (alongside digital) in art colleges and universities even as digital takes over more and more of the world
- My desire to learn
- The high quality of my artistic education
- My interest in Canadian politics
Sunday, September 23, 2012
here's to another 125 years!
Just when I thought I couldn't fall any more in love with NSCAD--I have. This school is amazing, not just because it's one of the best art schools in Canada, but because it also has a great atmosphere and a "get off your butt and get involved in your community" attitude. And the school knows how to have fun. NSCAD, I love you!
Monday: So far, I've been doing a lot of work at the place where I'm living, rather than going to NSCAD to work on stuff. Partly it's because I live an hour's walk from the Granville campus. But on Monday, SUNSCAD had a teach-in about the school's financial situation, so I ended up at school on my day off. Right now NSCAD is in debt and has a significant deficit, which was largely caused by people who were supposed to be in charge not doing their jobs. And also the Nova Scotia government (NDP, though they could pass for Conservative) doesn't see why NSCAD is so important, why the arts are so important, and that contributed to the current situation. Last year it was so bad that NSCAD could've closed it's doors for good. But SUNSCAD has fought hard to keep the school open and to kick out the staff who were being irresponsible, including the last president, who was anything but available during this whole ordeal. Two members of CLASSE--the student organization behind the Canadian Spring strike--also spoke. They talked about the events leading up to the strike, and how it happened. The premier at the time, Jean Charest, proposed the tuition hikes way back in '10, and the students tried every possible method of making their voices heard--going on strike was a last resort. When they took questions, I asked what was next for the students, what with a new premier, Pauline Marois (Parti Québécois), who was elected earlier this month. I knew that the tuition hikes have been cancelled for now, but I wanted to know what else was happening and what CLASSE was up to. Marois and her government are going to negotiate with the students, and try to find a solution that both the students and the provincial government can agree to.
Afterward, I talked with one of the students who's actively involved in SUNSCAD because I want to be more involved than I am right now. Simply being a member of SUNSCAD isn't enough for me, now that I know about all the awesome stuff that they do, whether it's teach-ins or days of protest, and I want to be involved. Also, I'll only be here for a year: if I don't run, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework for Intro Photo.
Tuesday: This week, we were introduced to that awesome camera known as a twin-lens reflex or TLR, and NSCAD's lighting studio and hot lights. Although I've logged about ten gazillion hours in NBCCD's photo studio, I'm starting from rock bottom again. But since it's a different school, with a different lighting studio setup, I think it's a good thing. Even their hot lights are a different brand and shape. And they're terracotta coloured, rather than black. And whereas the black and white backdrops were secured to the floor at NBCCD, at NSCAD they're stored close to the ceiling and you pull whichever one you want down with a chain. The best part: their product table is very sturdy and isn't held together with tape. And it has wheels on the back legs!!!!!!!! You know you're a photographer when you get excited about wheels on product tables. However, NSCAD's lighting studio has the same issue that NBCCD's does: the ceiling is too low, and I won't be doing any jumping shots anytime soon.
That evening, I shot the first half of the assignment. Another thing about NSCAD's lighting studio is that it's always booked. Working with the TLR is a bit different than with an SLR because everything is backwards in the viewfinder, and I found it a bit disorienting.
Wednesday: We started a larger project this week: making a book using Coptic binding. This week we just made the covers.
After class, I processed the roll that I'd shot the night before.
Thursday: This week, we critiqued each others' projects, which were due. However, we ran out of time, and will finish the crit this coming Thursday.
One of the things I love about art school is that there's art in places where you'd least expect it. NBCCD's photo studio has a photo from a contact sheet stuck to a random beam, and in the classroom where Photography Beyond the Frame is, there are several drawings of Ethernet sockets pinned to the wall, high enough that whoever pulled the stunt off would've needed a ladder to do it. I asked Bob about them, and according to him those drawings have been there for several decades.
Friday: Some of us (including yours truly) hadn't done that week's reading (I'd completely forgotten about it), so we read it in class and then discussed it. We also watched Koyaanisqatsi, and then discussed that. The movie completely blew me away and overwhelmed me. It's beautiful, thrilling, contemplative, and even a bit sad. The word "koyaanisqatsi" means "life out of balance" in Hopi, and that's exactly what the film depicts. The music is by Philip Glass, and it also contributes to the feeling of being overwhelmed by the movie. There's no dialog. A few of my classmates said that the movie depicted humanity as bad and nature as good, and I also got that feeling. It's something that I believe, anyway. To quote the alien in Contact, "You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares."
Saturday: ANNAversary Weekend! And another one of those "I'll only be at NSCAD for a year--so I should immerse myself in as much NSCAD culture as I can" situations. So I volunteered for ANNAmotion LOGOmotion, which recreated Robert Harris' portrait of Anna Leonowens and NSCAD's "125" logo using large painted boards. I arrived at Citadel Hill, where the performance was to take place, around eleven--about half an hour before I was supposed to, and walked around the hill (which is big) looking for people who looked like they may be involved in the flash mob. Eventually, I spotted a familiar face, got crossed off the list of people who'd signed up, given a sticker with a number (137 M) on it and a pixel. After standing around for a while, wondering what to do next, I found my row, and waited some more. I also practised flipping the pixel with my row.
Shortly after noon, we walked and squelched our way (it was very foggy, as you can see in the video) to the Duke St. side of the Hill. We then did several variations of raising the pixels and flipping them. After that, we paraded single-file on the sidewalk over to the Granville Campus, where we assembled in the plaza outside the university and did the pixel flip, as Bob calls it, again. We then chanted "NOVA SCOTIA NEEDS NSCAD!" and "ONE, TWO, FIVE!" After that, we posed for a group photo. Steve Farmer, who teaches part-time at NSCAD and took all the faculty and staff photos for the website, took the still photos at both locations.
Throughout the event, there were several moments where I felt like crying because I was so proud to be affiliated with NSCAD, and proud to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eventually I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I cried a bit.
By the way, I'm the woman in the bright yellow raincoat. In ANNAmotion LOGOmotion I'm in the front row.
After the event, I headed home, stopping at a patisserie that I'd discovered while parading over to Granville. I spent the rest of the day doing homework and other things that needed to get done.
Sunday: I spent today finishing the reading for Intro Photo, skyping with my parents (including discussing with Tom whether to migrate or do a clean install of my stuff when my new computer comes. We decided to migrate some things, e.g., iPhoto and Firefox, and do a clean install of others), catching up on my podcasts and YouTube subscriptions and writing this post.
Tomorrow I'm going to start on my next project for Beyond the Frame. The theme this time is documents and documentary photography, so I've decided to do a piece documenting my NSCAD experience so far.
Monday: So far, I've been doing a lot of work at the place where I'm living, rather than going to NSCAD to work on stuff. Partly it's because I live an hour's walk from the Granville campus. But on Monday, SUNSCAD had a teach-in about the school's financial situation, so I ended up at school on my day off. Right now NSCAD is in debt and has a significant deficit, which was largely caused by people who were supposed to be in charge not doing their jobs. And also the Nova Scotia government (NDP, though they could pass for Conservative) doesn't see why NSCAD is so important, why the arts are so important, and that contributed to the current situation. Last year it was so bad that NSCAD could've closed it's doors for good. But SUNSCAD has fought hard to keep the school open and to kick out the staff who were being irresponsible, including the last president, who was anything but available during this whole ordeal. Two members of CLASSE--the student organization behind the Canadian Spring strike--also spoke. They talked about the events leading up to the strike, and how it happened. The premier at the time, Jean Charest, proposed the tuition hikes way back in '10, and the students tried every possible method of making their voices heard--going on strike was a last resort. When they took questions, I asked what was next for the students, what with a new premier, Pauline Marois (Parti Québécois), who was elected earlier this month. I knew that the tuition hikes have been cancelled for now, but I wanted to know what else was happening and what CLASSE was up to. Marois and her government are going to negotiate with the students, and try to find a solution that both the students and the provincial government can agree to.
Afterward, I talked with one of the students who's actively involved in SUNSCAD because I want to be more involved than I am right now. Simply being a member of SUNSCAD isn't enough for me, now that I know about all the awesome stuff that they do, whether it's teach-ins or days of protest, and I want to be involved. Also, I'll only be here for a year: if I don't run, I know I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing homework for Intro Photo.
Tuesday: This week, we were introduced to that awesome camera known as a twin-lens reflex or TLR, and NSCAD's lighting studio and hot lights. Although I've logged about ten gazillion hours in NBCCD's photo studio, I'm starting from rock bottom again. But since it's a different school, with a different lighting studio setup, I think it's a good thing. Even their hot lights are a different brand and shape. And they're terracotta coloured, rather than black. And whereas the black and white backdrops were secured to the floor at NBCCD, at NSCAD they're stored close to the ceiling and you pull whichever one you want down with a chain. The best part: their product table is very sturdy and isn't held together with tape. And it has wheels on the back legs!!!!!!!! You know you're a photographer when you get excited about wheels on product tables. However, NSCAD's lighting studio has the same issue that NBCCD's does: the ceiling is too low, and I won't be doing any jumping shots anytime soon.
That evening, I shot the first half of the assignment. Another thing about NSCAD's lighting studio is that it's always booked. Working with the TLR is a bit different than with an SLR because everything is backwards in the viewfinder, and I found it a bit disorienting.
Wednesday: We started a larger project this week: making a book using Coptic binding. This week we just made the covers.
After class, I processed the roll that I'd shot the night before.
Thursday: This week, we critiqued each others' projects, which were due. However, we ran out of time, and will finish the crit this coming Thursday.
One of the things I love about art school is that there's art in places where you'd least expect it. NBCCD's photo studio has a photo from a contact sheet stuck to a random beam, and in the classroom where Photography Beyond the Frame is, there are several drawings of Ethernet sockets pinned to the wall, high enough that whoever pulled the stunt off would've needed a ladder to do it. I asked Bob about them, and according to him those drawings have been there for several decades.
Friday: Some of us (including yours truly) hadn't done that week's reading (I'd completely forgotten about it), so we read it in class and then discussed it. We also watched Koyaanisqatsi, and then discussed that. The movie completely blew me away and overwhelmed me. It's beautiful, thrilling, contemplative, and even a bit sad. The word "koyaanisqatsi" means "life out of balance" in Hopi, and that's exactly what the film depicts. The music is by Philip Glass, and it also contributes to the feeling of being overwhelmed by the movie. There's no dialog. A few of my classmates said that the movie depicted humanity as bad and nature as good, and I also got that feeling. It's something that I believe, anyway. To quote the alien in Contact, "You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares."
Saturday: ANNAversary Weekend! And another one of those "I'll only be at NSCAD for a year--so I should immerse myself in as much NSCAD culture as I can" situations. So I volunteered for ANNAmotion LOGOmotion, which recreated Robert Harris' portrait of Anna Leonowens and NSCAD's "125" logo using large painted boards. I arrived at Citadel Hill, where the performance was to take place, around eleven--about half an hour before I was supposed to, and walked around the hill (which is big) looking for people who looked like they may be involved in the flash mob. Eventually, I spotted a familiar face, got crossed off the list of people who'd signed up, given a sticker with a number (137 M) on it and a pixel. After standing around for a while, wondering what to do next, I found my row, and waited some more. I also practised flipping the pixel with my row.
Shortly after noon, we walked and squelched our way (it was very foggy, as you can see in the video) to the Duke St. side of the Hill. We then did several variations of raising the pixels and flipping them. After that, we paraded single-file on the sidewalk over to the Granville Campus, where we assembled in the plaza outside the university and did the pixel flip, as Bob calls it, again. We then chanted "NOVA SCOTIA NEEDS NSCAD!" and "ONE, TWO, FIVE!" After that, we posed for a group photo. Steve Farmer, who teaches part-time at NSCAD and took all the faculty and staff photos for the website, took the still photos at both locations.
Throughout the event, there were several moments where I felt like crying because I was so proud to be affiliated with NSCAD, and proud to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Eventually I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I cried a bit.
By the way, I'm the woman in the bright yellow raincoat. In ANNAmotion LOGOmotion I'm in the front row.
After the event, I headed home, stopping at a patisserie that I'd discovered while parading over to Granville. I spent the rest of the day doing homework and other things that needed to get done.
Sunday: I spent today finishing the reading for Intro Photo, skyping with my parents (including discussing with Tom whether to migrate or do a clean install of my stuff when my new computer comes. We decided to migrate some things, e.g., iPhoto and Firefox, and do a clean install of others), catching up on my podcasts and YouTube subscriptions and writing this post.
Tomorrow I'm going to start on my next project for Beyond the Frame. The theme this time is documents and documentary photography, so I've decided to do a piece documenting my NSCAD experience so far.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
my letter to Jack Layton
I finally feel ready to publish it. Enjoy.
--------
August 27, 2011
Jack:
As I promised in the wee hours of the 26th, I would write you. So here I am. I may repeat what I said, but writing will give me a way to expand on it.
I still can't believe you're gone. And I cannot begin to describe my sadness: I'm crying as I write this.
I was looking forward to you keeping Harper in check. I was looking forward to you challenging him. The filibuster this past spring was nothing short of awesome, and I was looking forward to more of that, to more defence of the 'little people'. But although Nycole [Turmel--interim leader of the NDP] and the rest of the NDP will get to continue that work, you will not. And that’s what makes me cry the hardest: thinking about things that I'd been looking forward to, things that Nycole will get to do, but you will not.
I remember watching pre-election news with my parents before I could vote. My parents are both Liberals, and although I agreed with the LPC, I also found myself agreeing with the NDP. But although I've always agreed with both parties, until a year ago I tended to vote Conservative in provincial elections and Liberal in federal elections (I'm proud to say that I have a clean record, having never voted for Harper, who came to power two years before I turned eighteen). It was only in the 2010 provincial election that I began to vote differently, and I voted for a third party: the NDP. Between the '08 and '10 elections, my political views had begun to shift towards the left, and by the time the rumours about a possible election in 2011 had begun to circle, I knew that I was no longer a Liberal; that that party no longer represented who I was as a young woman, that I no longer identified with their positions. As of this year, it was NDP or bust.
And what an election it was. The election was supposed to be just another trip to the polls--but we voters never accepted that message. I remember when the NDP's poll numbers started to skyrocket; when the possibility of either a Conservative government with an NDP Opposition, or an NDP government with a Conservative Opposition began to look like more than a fantasy. When it began to look like a possibility. And oh, when it became reality! The NDP becoming the Official Opposition was just about the only thing that gave me hope on election night (Harper's win made me cry with anger). Having spent a significant chunk of the election reading shitharperdid.com, I vowed to not let him get away with his plans to turn Canada--a country that I love more than anyone can imagine--into something completely unrecognizable.
I still feel that way today. I will oppose any law that I see as a threat to the freedom that we Canadians enjoy. With a Harper majority, no one can afford to be uninformed or apathetic.
I miss you, Jack. Last night, I started to do my usual dancing, but after a while I couldn't do it anymore: I was crying too hard, and, for the last half-hour before I called it quits, did the dishes, and started to get ready for bed, I was just too overwhelmingly sad. I miss you--I could keep saying that over and over.
Your funeral this afternoon was one of the most beautiful that I've ever heard (I listened to it on CBC Radio One)--the only other funeral that can compare is my granny's, in early-March '06. During hers, I found myself smiling several times, and during yours it was the same thing. I cried the hardest I have all week (even harder than in the last two days). In fact, I think I cried as much as I have since the twenty-second, and my eyes stung for a couple hours afterward from the tears. But I also applauded with the audience in the hall, sang along to Hallelujah (I usually sing along to O Canada, but this time all I could do was sob so hard that I could barely stand), and laughed. Sometimes I laughed and cried at the same time. It really was a celebration--one that I will not forget anytime soon, and one for which I am grateful. I loved the diversity of the ceremony: the different music genres, cultures, languages, memories, sexual orientations, religions... And Rev. Hawkes' reference to your last letter (sob).
Thank you for all that you did and accomplished during your life. Thank you, thank you, thank you a thousand times over. Like many people, young and old, I will proudly pick up the torch that was once yours, and carry it. Although I am an artist, and not a politician (though I'm far more political now after Election '11, which I owe mostly to you and the NDP, and for which I thank you), I will proudly continue to fight for the underdog. I accept your call to be "loving, hopeful and optimistic" (or try to, anyway--a Harper government doesn't make that task easy). And I fully intend on changing the world (whether local, national or international)--through my art, and through my actions.
Goddess bless, and go in peace.
Team Layton for life,
Annapurna
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
one of a kind
Canada lost a great politician Monday morning. Jack Layton was one of the few politicians that I admired (well, there was Obama, but he has yet to make good on some of the major things that he promised, such as closing Guantanamo, and increasing taxes on the wealthy while decreasing taxes on the not-so-wealthy--in fact, he extended the Bush tax cuts this year. Ahem.). Jack was one of those politicians who actually helped to make Canada--and the world--a better place. He was an environmentalist (the environment section of the NDP's '11 platform was a lot more action-oriented than the environment section of the Liberal Party's platform, which was one of the reasons why I voted for the NDP, rather than the Grits, this year). He was in favour of proportional representation (instead of the current first-past-the-post voting system). He was the kind of guy who liked to roll up his sleeves and get things done. And, like me, once he set his mind to something, the guy never backed down (and these are just four reasons why he was awesome).
Jack was a breath of fresh air in Canada's federal politics. While he was actually working to make things better, the other parties (Conservatives, Liberals, and Bloc Québecois) were still bickering over whether that thing needed to be done, and if so, how to do it. I remember last year when the NDP passed Bill C-311, a.k.a. the Climate Change Accountability Act, which I supported (and I've been getting emails from the NDP ever since). But although it passed in the House of Commons, it was defeated in the Senate, which was, and still is, a serious bummer. However, it was reintroduced in the House this past June, so there might be hope. Keep your fingers crossed!
I'm the kind of person who likes to check the news and Facebook first thing in the morning, so when I logged onto FB and read my news feed, I saw a whole bunch of people and organizations, starting with one of my former residence-mates, Karlie, saying that Jack was... DEAD?! WHAT?! Oh. My. God. NO! I was in shock. I'm still in shock: sometimes I think, "oh, my God, Jack's dead," and I don't want to believe it. I cry every time I think about that fact (including now).
By the way, I didn't know until yesterday (Tuesday) that not only do I share a birthday with Nelson Mandela, but I also share(d) a birthday with Jack. July 18 is a pretty awesome date. I only wish I'd known sooner...
Later that day, Jack's final letter to Canadians, which was dated August 20th, '11, was released. Although I link to it on rabble.ca here, I read it on the CBC's website. The letter is beautifully written, and since it's release people have been quoting it on Facebook--in status updates and on profile pics. As I wrote when I posted it to Facebook, I'd "been crying off and on for the last few hours, but I completely lost it when I read the ninth paragraph of Jack's letter ("To young Canadians")." It took me a long time to get through that paragraph. Here it is:
The condolence page on the NDP website
Jack was a breath of fresh air in Canada's federal politics. While he was actually working to make things better, the other parties (Conservatives, Liberals, and Bloc Québecois) were still bickering over whether that thing needed to be done, and if so, how to do it. I remember last year when the NDP passed Bill C-311, a.k.a. the Climate Change Accountability Act, which I supported (and I've been getting emails from the NDP ever since). But although it passed in the House of Commons, it was defeated in the Senate, which was, and still is, a serious bummer. However, it was reintroduced in the House this past June, so there might be hope. Keep your fingers crossed!
I'm the kind of person who likes to check the news and Facebook first thing in the morning, so when I logged onto FB and read my news feed, I saw a whole bunch of people and organizations, starting with one of my former residence-mates, Karlie, saying that Jack was... DEAD?! WHAT?! Oh. My. God. NO! I was in shock. I'm still in shock: sometimes I think, "oh, my God, Jack's dead," and I don't want to believe it. I cry every time I think about that fact (including now).
By the way, I didn't know until yesterday (Tuesday) that not only do I share a birthday with Nelson Mandela, but I also share(d) a birthday with Jack. July 18 is a pretty awesome date. I only wish I'd known sooner...
Later that day, Jack's final letter to Canadians, which was dated August 20th, '11, was released. Although I link to it on rabble.ca here, I read it on the CBC's website. The letter is beautifully written, and since it's release people have been quoting it on Facebook--in status updates and on profile pics. As I wrote when I posted it to Facebook, I'd "been crying off and on for the last few hours, but I completely lost it when I read the ninth paragraph of Jack's letter ("To young Canadians")." It took me a long time to get through that paragraph. Here it is:
"All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future."Thank you, Jack--for inspiring me, for getting me excited about voting and politics this year (and, gee, the Americans thought they had all the fun back in '08)--to steal a phrase from the Obama '08 campaign, I was "fired up and ready to go", for proving that a third party that had never done better than that could become the Official Opposition, for never backing down, for caring about the environment--and for simply being awesome. I was proud to vote NDP this year. May you rest in peace--and please say hi to Pierre Trudeau for me if you ever meet up with him in Paradise.
The condolence page on the NDP website
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
memories of 9/11
The tenth anniversary of 9/11 is this year. Almost nine years ago (as of August), I put together eleven pieces of music as a short (fifty-minute) ballet (for lack of better words--most of the choreography is closer to modern/contemporary/jazz dance than ballet), titled The Day we will Never Forget: September 11th, 2001. The ballet is comprised of eleven pieces of music, including an overture, and it explores the events of that day, before going into the aftermath, as people come to terms with what happened and deal with feelings of anger, sadness, fear, etc., and the military is deployed to Afghanistan.
Back then, I dreamed of making the whole thing into one CD, so that I wouldn't have to switch CDs after every piece. Yesterday, I finished putting together the playlist on iTunes, something that was in it's infancy at the time, and which I had yet to know about. Putting together a CD, recording a podcast, making a home movie look really professional are all so easy now. Here it is, for anyone who's interested:
Please Don't Go (overture)
New York, New York from On the Town (takes place on September 10, '01; depicts people going about their daily lives--I used an instrumental version, with Joshua Bell and the Philharmonia Orchestra, but this is the original with Frank Sinatra)
Ballade (the morning of 9/11; the WTC is hit, the world changes forever)
Allegretto from Beethoven's 7th Symphony (a funeral march; death, sadness)
Her Die Hand!/Oh Habit Acht! from The Gypsy Baron (anger--I used an instrumental medley of the two pieces, performed by André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra)
Lost Heroes (sadness)
Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets (the beginning of the war in Afghanistan)
Romance for Clara (a soldier and his girlfriend/wife say goodbye)
The Last Rose (soldiers going off to war; saying goodbye to loved ones)
Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly (I can't remember what this track was about, but I can picture the scene in my head and it's along the lines of a prayer for those who died in the attacks)
Adagio in C Minor (finale with the entire cast; hope for the future)
I put together a Word document with notes on all aspects of the production: the music and what recordings I wanted to use; characters and how many people would be involved (minimum and maximum, which I fixed yesterday because eight years after working everything out, I found out that my math was off--which doesn't surprise me, since my math skills sucked when I created the ballet and at the time I had yet to get help). At the time, I thought that I might perform it, so I designed the production so that it could be performed as cheaply as possible (fourteen-year-olds generally don't have a lot of money on their hands).
As I've been working on the playlist, I've been thinking about what happened on 9/11, and I've realized that I still bear the emotional scars from that time. After the second or third anniversary, I stopped making a big deal out of it (starting with the first anniversary, I played my violin at the time of each attack), and I moved on. Ever since then, I've felt that the US was stuck in the mindset of that day, and it frustrated me to no end. But as I've been putting everything together, and dancing to Ballade for the first time in a couple years a week or so ago, the old emotions have begun to come to the surface again.
I will never forget the aftermath: the tightened security at the US/Canada border (which used to be the world's longest unprotected border--not anymore); customs officers who were working incredibly long shifts as a result (to the point where they were snappish due to exhaustion--I remember feeling incredibly sorry for them); my parents going across the border less due to having to spend forever in the lineup... Sometimes I find myself longing for the "good old days", when crossing the border was as easy as playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. When we didn't need a picture ID/driver's license (and later, passport) to cross the border. When Dubya had yet to add "tyranny" and "War on Terror" to his vocab ("look, Daddy: I can use big words!"). When most Americans barely gave a second thought to Islam, and people with brown skin weren't viewed as possible terrorists. Sigh...
"Homeland Security could kill us all." So true, so true. Thanks, Green Day.
And then there's that darned Patriot Act...
Back then, I dreamed of making the whole thing into one CD, so that I wouldn't have to switch CDs after every piece. Yesterday, I finished putting together the playlist on iTunes, something that was in it's infancy at the time, and which I had yet to know about. Putting together a CD, recording a podcast, making a home movie look really professional are all so easy now. Here it is, for anyone who's interested:
Please Don't Go (overture)
New York, New York from On the Town (takes place on September 10, '01; depicts people going about their daily lives--I used an instrumental version, with Joshua Bell and the Philharmonia Orchestra, but this is the original with Frank Sinatra)
Ballade (the morning of 9/11; the WTC is hit, the world changes forever)
Allegretto from Beethoven's 7th Symphony (a funeral march; death, sadness)
Her Die Hand!/Oh Habit Acht! from The Gypsy Baron (anger--I used an instrumental medley of the two pieces, performed by André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra)
Lost Heroes (sadness)
Mars, the Bringer of War from The Planets (the beginning of the war in Afghanistan)
Romance for Clara (a soldier and his girlfriend/wife say goodbye)
The Last Rose (soldiers going off to war; saying goodbye to loved ones)
Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly (I can't remember what this track was about, but I can picture the scene in my head and it's along the lines of a prayer for those who died in the attacks)
Adagio in C Minor (finale with the entire cast; hope for the future)
I put together a Word document with notes on all aspects of the production: the music and what recordings I wanted to use; characters and how many people would be involved (minimum and maximum, which I fixed yesterday because eight years after working everything out, I found out that my math was off--which doesn't surprise me, since my math skills sucked when I created the ballet and at the time I had yet to get help). At the time, I thought that I might perform it, so I designed the production so that it could be performed as cheaply as possible (fourteen-year-olds generally don't have a lot of money on their hands).
As I've been working on the playlist, I've been thinking about what happened on 9/11, and I've realized that I still bear the emotional scars from that time. After the second or third anniversary, I stopped making a big deal out of it (starting with the first anniversary, I played my violin at the time of each attack), and I moved on. Ever since then, I've felt that the US was stuck in the mindset of that day, and it frustrated me to no end. But as I've been putting everything together, and dancing to Ballade for the first time in a couple years a week or so ago, the old emotions have begun to come to the surface again.
I will never forget the aftermath: the tightened security at the US/Canada border (which used to be the world's longest unprotected border--not anymore); customs officers who were working incredibly long shifts as a result (to the point where they were snappish due to exhaustion--I remember feeling incredibly sorry for them); my parents going across the border less due to having to spend forever in the lineup... Sometimes I find myself longing for the "good old days", when crossing the border was as easy as playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. When we didn't need a picture ID/driver's license (and later, passport) to cross the border. When Dubya had yet to add "tyranny" and "War on Terror" to his vocab ("look, Daddy: I can use big words!"). When most Americans barely gave a second thought to Islam, and people with brown skin weren't viewed as possible terrorists. Sigh...
"Homeland Security could kill us all." So true, so true. Thanks, Green Day.
And then there's that darned Patriot Act...
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
well, hello again!
Just when I thought I was done blogging for the summer... Turns out, I still have thoughts and opinions galore that need to be written down. I'll admit it: I'm now about as addicted to writing as I am to the Met Opera (this coming Saturday will be the final radio broadcast of the season--Die Walküre).
This past year has really made think about my writing. Until a couple of years ago, I didn't like writing at all--and when I did like writing, I only liked it when I was writing for fun: on my old blog (on JournalSpace.com), emails to friends, etc. But I wouldn't admit it, and in fact, I didn't realize how much I loved that kind of writing (even though I wrote a lot). And I had to be pushed to write stuff for school (I'm homeschooled--and proud)--some of which I didn't even finish (I also had a bunch of unfinished fiction--and yes, I liked starting things, but was horrible with following through). When I was about ten or so I wanted to be a writer and/or illustrator, and then just a writer. Weird, huh? I think what excited me was the idea of writing, rather than the act. In the past, a lot of things were like that for me: the idea sounded really cool, and then when I actually did the thing, I realized that, hey, it's work.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last month or so, you might know that here in Canada we had an election last week (May 2nd). I started off the night listening to CBC Radio One's coverage, and had the webpages of the CBC and the National Post open. And although Radio One was reeling off results as they (slowly) came in, CBC.ca didn't start listing results until 11:30 PM due to a law saying that no one (Elections Canada included) can release election results online until the polls have closed in British Columbia (11:30 PM Atlantic Time). Even so, people found cleaver ways to talk about results on Twitter and Facebook. I heard that on Twitter people were talking about the results in code: oranges = NDP, strawberries = Liberal, apples = Green Party, blueberries = Conservative. Some people were asking their friends in the US for results--and then posting those results to Twitter or Facebook.
I was prepared to stay up until the wee hours, but the election was called just after one in the morning: Stephen Harper (Conservative) had won. And after two elections that had both produced a minority government, he'd finally won a majority. To say that I was less than thrilled is an understatement: I can't remember the last time I was that angry (I cried when the election was called). Harper has already taken advantage of the fact that Canadian politics can come off as boring to do things behind the citizens' backs. Some of them are known, like trying to ditch the long form census, but others, like "weakening regulations so that more pesticide residue could be left" on food, might've passed by without us ordinary Canucks knowing. Which isn't a good thing.
As a result, I've decided to try to follow Canadian politics a bit more than I have been.
Last Tuesday I decided to take the anger that I felt towards the election (and Harper), and channel it into something productive. The result was a triptych with the caption, "Remember, Harper: The citizens of Canada are watching you." I shot the photos (self-portraits) with my computer's built-in camera, which resulted in small, low-resolution images. But I didn't mind: I liked the look and feel of the photos. It gives them an up-to-the-minute feel, since everything, from computers to cellphones, has a camera built into it (and those cameras keep getting better). Though the original photos were JPEGs, I opened them in Adobe Camera RAW and edited them there to take advantage of the control that RAW gives (JPEG just doesn't compare). Once I was happy with the results, I posted it on my Flickr photostream and set up the Creative Commons license so that it's legal for people to download the photo, but not make their own changes, not use it for commercial purposes, and as long as they credit me as the artist.
The dark, desaturated look represents what I feel, as a young Canadian woman whose political views have shifted from agreeing with the Liberals no matter what, to being much further to the left than even the NDP in the last couple years. To me, Canada post-election feels very bleak, and my only bit of political hope is the fact that there will be another election in about four years. Start the countdown!
On Saturday, Mom did the farmers' market in St. Andrews. I spent most of my time down there photographing. I hadn't done any photography to sell in St. Andrews in two years, so I was long overdue. I want to try to introduce to the people of St. Andrews the part of me that doesn't exactly play it safe: I've been doing mostly nature photography, and all of my photography has been almost completely SOOC (straight out of camera--i.e., with no post-processing). This time, I want to try more urban photography around St. Andrews, and I want to do more post-processing than I've done in the past. My work won't be as crazy as it was at school, but I want to bring some of that edgy, urban mentality that I discovered this past year to my work this summer. I don't want to feel like I have to lie to my customers, or feel like I have something to hide from them (I went through a really bad lying phase between the ages of twelve and fifteen--give or take a year--and since then I've moved in the opposite direction: these days I try to be as honest as possible without being brutally honest, à la Simon Cowell). Look out, St. Andrews!
This past year has really made think about my writing. Until a couple of years ago, I didn't like writing at all--and when I did like writing, I only liked it when I was writing for fun: on my old blog (on JournalSpace.com), emails to friends, etc. But I wouldn't admit it, and in fact, I didn't realize how much I loved that kind of writing (even though I wrote a lot). And I had to be pushed to write stuff for school (I'm homeschooled--and proud)--some of which I didn't even finish (I also had a bunch of unfinished fiction--and yes, I liked starting things, but was horrible with following through). When I was about ten or so I wanted to be a writer and/or illustrator, and then just a writer. Weird, huh? I think what excited me was the idea of writing, rather than the act. In the past, a lot of things were like that for me: the idea sounded really cool, and then when I actually did the thing, I realized that, hey, it's work.
Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the last month or so, you might know that here in Canada we had an election last week (May 2nd). I started off the night listening to CBC Radio One's coverage, and had the webpages of the CBC and the National Post open. And although Radio One was reeling off results as they (slowly) came in, CBC.ca didn't start listing results until 11:30 PM due to a law saying that no one (Elections Canada included) can release election results online until the polls have closed in British Columbia (11:30 PM Atlantic Time). Even so, people found cleaver ways to talk about results on Twitter and Facebook. I heard that on Twitter people were talking about the results in code: oranges = NDP, strawberries = Liberal, apples = Green Party, blueberries = Conservative. Some people were asking their friends in the US for results--and then posting those results to Twitter or Facebook.
I was prepared to stay up until the wee hours, but the election was called just after one in the morning: Stephen Harper (Conservative) had won. And after two elections that had both produced a minority government, he'd finally won a majority. To say that I was less than thrilled is an understatement: I can't remember the last time I was that angry (I cried when the election was called). Harper has already taken advantage of the fact that Canadian politics can come off as boring to do things behind the citizens' backs. Some of them are known, like trying to ditch the long form census, but others, like "weakening regulations so that more pesticide residue could be left" on food, might've passed by without us ordinary Canucks knowing. Which isn't a good thing.
As a result, I've decided to try to follow Canadian politics a bit more than I have been.
Last Tuesday I decided to take the anger that I felt towards the election (and Harper), and channel it into something productive. The result was a triptych with the caption, "Remember, Harper: The citizens of Canada are watching you." I shot the photos (self-portraits) with my computer's built-in camera, which resulted in small, low-resolution images. But I didn't mind: I liked the look and feel of the photos. It gives them an up-to-the-minute feel, since everything, from computers to cellphones, has a camera built into it (and those cameras keep getting better). Though the original photos were JPEGs, I opened them in Adobe Camera RAW and edited them there to take advantage of the control that RAW gives (JPEG just doesn't compare). Once I was happy with the results, I posted it on my Flickr photostream and set up the Creative Commons license so that it's legal for people to download the photo, but not make their own changes, not use it for commercial purposes, and as long as they credit me as the artist.
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| Download here. |
The dark, desaturated look represents what I feel, as a young Canadian woman whose political views have shifted from agreeing with the Liberals no matter what, to being much further to the left than even the NDP in the last couple years. To me, Canada post-election feels very bleak, and my only bit of political hope is the fact that there will be another election in about four years. Start the countdown!
On Saturday, Mom did the farmers' market in St. Andrews. I spent most of my time down there photographing. I hadn't done any photography to sell in St. Andrews in two years, so I was long overdue. I want to try to introduce to the people of St. Andrews the part of me that doesn't exactly play it safe: I've been doing mostly nature photography, and all of my photography has been almost completely SOOC (straight out of camera--i.e., with no post-processing). This time, I want to try more urban photography around St. Andrews, and I want to do more post-processing than I've done in the past. My work won't be as crazy as it was at school, but I want to bring some of that edgy, urban mentality that I discovered this past year to my work this summer. I don't want to feel like I have to lie to my customers, or feel like I have something to hide from them (I went through a really bad lying phase between the ages of twelve and fifteen--give or take a year--and since then I've moved in the opposite direction: these days I try to be as honest as possible without being brutally honest, à la Simon Cowell). Look out, St. Andrews!
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