Back to Being Accountable

So, I have been quite neglectful of this little corner of my world. Then this morning, while walking to my car, I realized that it was muddy and gross and needed a wash. Which made me think... "Wow. It's been almost a year since I started off with my car wash of just water... Go me!" When I am motivated to do one thing, I tend to get motivated about all the things going in my life. The past few months have been spent just treading water, mainly because I was trying to find the balance again, but now that things are in a good place, it's time to be 'Postive Positive Positive!' I hope you will see stuff from me more often, and hopefully be relatively entertained!

I took a position as VP Academic of my departments student's association. Since a lot of the academic issues are handled by profs, I have instead contacted the recruitment coordinator, and she asked me to do a short DVD that she can send out to schools so they know what our program is about and hopefully recruit students. I took several film classes back when I was a psych major drama minor (I know, how useless would that have been!) and am really excited to work on my editing skills again... I have totally twisted the arm of every prof and student I know, in the hopes that whenever and whatever I show up to film will be super... and I really hope I can put the video up here for you guys to watch- how exciting!

We had a stuff swap this past week for our department- Human Ecology students bringing in all sorts of goodies they don't want and sharing them, and taking others goodies if they want them. We ended up raising some money (by donation), and donated more than 8 garbage bags of clothes and household items to The Bissell Center which is a fabulous organization in Edmonton which helps pretty much anyone who needs it. This was a fabulous fit for Human Ecology: A beneficial community minded fund/stuff raiser fits with the Family Ecology side of our program, and the clothing swap fits with the fashion/design/sustainability side. Go us!

One of the classes I am in is putting together a gallery exhibit that challenges the concept of Authenticity: What is it, where does authentic start and fake begin? It's still fairly ethereal right now, but it definitely starts your brain thinking: a knock off designer purse is still a purse, so is it fake? Faux wood panel is obviously faux wood so do people just like the look of faux? This will all be a way longer post when the exhibit starts coming together and I have some artifacts to show you, but until then... just think about it. What makes an object authentic, or what makes it possess it's authenticity?

My buddy Jodi

So. I am tooting the horn of my excellent education: The Department of Human Ecology finishes ones incredibly well rounded education with a firm dose of reality: a 6 week practicum within a business, government agency, non profit organization related to your chosen field of interest, and uses it to make sure you have something recent and relevant to add to your CV. Not totally necessary for an old cat like myself who has some generic office work already under my belt, but it also gives people a great starting point for a master's thesis... Case and point: Jodi!

Jodi came back from Nepal motivated, happy, experienced, and ready to educate all of us on how every choice we make can help or hinder. Her discussion over a lunch of grilled cheese and fries was much more relaxed than the interview provided in the link, and attentions were split between this experience and her recent decision to marry the love of her life. Her words regarding the poverty which she encountered had an impact which brought me back to my desires to live simply, ethically, and happily.

I know that globalization has brought us all closer, and there is no way to go back to each country producing only for itself, which I don't think ever really happened anyways. But historically speaking, most people were able to trade or bargain and receive something with relative value compared to what they were providing. At this point in history, the glutton in us is not playing fair with people in a "some food is better than no food" situation. I would like to one day own a business, and I want to do so without pulling the wool over the eyes of someone less fortunate than myself. I think of it this way: The only reason I am in my shoes and not making them is a twist of luck. If I keep that in mind, perhaps I will be a business person I respect, and who makes an impact on the way things are done, even if just in my chosen corners of the world.

Jerry McGui.re had an epiphany about becoming the type of agent good athletes deserve. He found a passion for something he was good at, and revelled in that passion, not the money he made. This is what life is all about. This is why people endeavor to DO things.

Please. Think about who you are, who you want to be, who your kids would have been if they were born to someone else across from where you are in the world right now. And begin to do right by these people. By these people, I mean all people. By the people who you live near, who need encouragement to make smart choices. By the people who live far from you, who cut the threads from your jeans before you wear them*. By your family, who deserve a you who makes responsible decisions. Do right by yourself- you deserve to know you make a difference. You deserve clothes made by people who got paid a living wage. Make this world less of a consumer driven machine, and revere it's natural beauty and potential.

Viva Fair Trade!

*See this movie. It is amazing, and makes you realize that things here may be cheap, but people 'pay' for low cost clothing.

Vancouver, Mommies, and Thanksgiving

Yes. Canadian Thanksgiving, my birthday, my friend R's wedding, my trip to Vancouver all occurred this weekend.

First: My Mother in Law is out of the hospital. The doc's sent her home because they need her to eat, and hospital food is the pits. So now it's her job to eat things, and if her infection flares up again, she may have to go for IV antibiotics by day. Best news ever! Or at least the best we could hope for, at this time! Hip Hip Horray!

Wedding: Funnest ever! Pictures to follow! Drive took forever, so we missed the rehearsal dinner, which was no fun at all.
Birthday: Funnest ever! Drove all day, but then after missing the rehearsal dinner, got to snuggle with husband, sister, and her boyfriend.

Mom #2: Got a text message from a long time friend that she had her baby the day of the wedding, a day after my birthday! was SOOOO excited that everyone is safe and happy!

Thanksgiving: Sis is a celiac vegitarian, so she made us some awesome gluten free yam/squash perogies, a crazy awesome pair of wheat free chocolate cakes (hers was soy based, I am allergic to soy and so mine was made with dairy), and delicious salad.

Mom #3 On the way home, we went through Calgary. My mother was so sick a few weeks ago that she couldn't make the trip up to see my brother and us in Edmonton, and so she has been a little down. She found out that she has gall stones, so she is either going to have surgery or other treatment, but until then she is stuck being quite uncomfortable. So that's mom #2 stuck under the weather. When we showed up at her house, my dad having kept her awake and hour and a half after her normal bedtime, she cried and was all snuggly. She told us about

Mom #4: Cousin who had been told early this year that she would be unable to have a baby. She gave away all collected baby clothes etc. A few months later, at a normal physical, her doctor asked if she could be pregnant. She explained her medical issues, and then her doctor proceeded to do a normal ultrasound for routine check up stuff. And then he, the nurse in the room, and my cousin cried as they celebrated the impossible together.

Now that the wedding and my midterms are over over, I have been going over all the e-mails between my dad's brothers and sisters regarding the future care of my Grandma,
Mom# 5, who is delving further into the labyrinth of dementia caused by Alzheimer's. They are attempting to make a sound reasonable decision of where she should be placed to ensure that everyone is able to visit, and how to prepare to make her quality of life as positive as possible. I am so impressed by how loving they are, how amazing my family is, how they all pull together and try to be unbiased. I was particularly touched by my new aunt, who has only been within our family for 2 years, who has only recently become a Canadian citizen, from Chile. She sent out an impassioned Spanish letter stating that my grandmother would surely be well taken care of by herself in her and my uncles home. The fact that I am the only family member with a reasonable understanding of Spanish made it all the more amazing.

I guess those are the things I am thankful for, the things I love, and the things which make me certain that I want a profession which engages my heart and my brain.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Booo Hiss

My mother in law has been in the hospital for a few weeks, following a barrage of complications from surgery. My Husband and I have been visiting her, like the rest of the fam. At this time, a patient she shares a room with has been infected with MSRA staph, which means we can't visit her. This form of staph is resistant to pretty much everything, so it's up to the human body to fight it off, with antibiotics usually assisting the body in fending off other bugs which may be attacking at the same time. As it is, my MIL is only able to use 3 types of antibiotics, as she is allergic to all, but can use these with a benadryl drip at the same time. We basically have to just hope that the infection will remain only with the other patient in the room. My family was in town this weekend to visit, and so DH and I haven't had the chance to see her, and now will not be able to until this all blows over. My school week is basically a gong show, and planning for R's wedding is also taking up time... How does Human Ecology relate to this? I guess it's my holistic approach to life. I am feeling stressed but calm. Take things one at a time, and do what I can. I cant change some of this, but I can change how I accept and perceive all these challenges.

Agency. On it's knees.

I am reminded how lucky we are. I am worried about school and being too busy to pay proper attention to my cats and house. Then I hop from "susies big adventure" to a blog she reads, Coolred where a woman is desperately trying to buy tickets for her and her family to come to the US. She was finally able to divorce her husband and obtain custody of her children. Horray right? Oh, wait, it was because she found out he was abusing her daughters. Not what I would call a lucky break. This is a woman who has been down, been out, but is still willing to stand up for herself, and use what agency she has to bring her family together. Her story is sad, and the only silver lining is that she is now seeing a possible end. I may be in school, I may have gotten laid off. I may not have all the clothing I want, love, and dream about. But I am safe. I am loved. I am fed emotionally, spiritually, and physically. I am home. So I sent her some money to get her there too. This is not the same situation as the prince of nigeria that e-mails you every week. This is a blog which has been running for years, and she finally has a chance to be happy. If you feel like you need a jolt of perspective, even if you have no money to spare, pop over to her blog and wish her well. Please feel blessed when you look at your life.

An attempt to be "Green"

Ok। I won't lie. As a burgeoning human ecologist, I am exploring exactly what that means to me. In the frequently greenwashed North American market, what kind of niche can my skills fill? Who do I want to become, what do I want to represent. Human ecologists fundamentally feel that education provides people with the agency to better their lives and the lives of others. They strive to provide sound scientific evidence of these improvements so that the education is validated. Research, Education, and Facilitation seem to be at the core of their mindset. I think. (so I've kindof gathered from three years of human ecology schooling.) But what does it really MEAN? So this blog is to record my efforts- I am enabling others and myself to improve our surroundings. Or something like that. I like money. I like being environmentally sound. Often those things go together: use less gas, don't go on vacation (airline travel makes your carbon footprint span the globe), turn off the lights. Often those things don't: buy a hybrid, or newer less gas guzzling vehicle, pay for carbon neutralizing credits (Balancing out those nasty Mexico flying miles...), replace your furnace... This makes me scream for moderation. Where does this go? How does a normal person, who doesn't have the money of A.l Gore manage to be somewhat responsible, without also becoming the victim of the current financial crisis by blowing their money on Soy this and Hydro that, Eco Whatchyamacallims and Green Shenanigans ? Well. For starters... Today I washed my car with just water, and a terry rag. Shocking. For all you grease monkeys out there, jumping up and down at the thought of me not waxing, buffing, chrome detailing my car with the love and attention similar to that of a russian mail order bride, let me set your mind at ease. I drive a 2007 Pontiac Wave. It's not a work of art, it's a car. It wasn't that dirty, it got a lovely chemical infused full on wash after winter, getting rid of all the scary salt and grime that would potentially rust (? ha, sure) all of it's hard plastic pieces. My thoughts: 1)Good outside fun. Cold Water. Hot day. Sunshine (30 degrees, which NEVER happens here!). I got to see steam rise off the roof when I washed it... that is not normal in E.dmonton! 2)Saves me $20.00 or all of my hard earned Esso extra points, when it really is calling for rain tomorrow... Especially when I'm going camping, so the highway drive will likely mess this wash up anyways. 3)Brings me appreciation of those people who detail cars, or the machines that wash them 4)Doesnt expose me and my family and everyone else in the area to all the weird junk in the suds at the gas station I'm not going to say I will never wash my car at a car wash again. Im not going to say that it was super easy, or that it was the CLEANEST looking car ever. sometimes I had to wash and rinse the side three times before the streaks were gone. But the car looks awesome, I saved the planet a bit of junk, I saved ME some money, and I got a small amount of vitamin D... If I had kids, I would say this is a great way to spend time with them with some super soakers... kids love pretty much everything to do with water, sunshine, and you.. So yeh. Go ahead. Tell people its to "Save the planet a little" when really you're just a big cheapo. Hmm. That may have been a slight segue. But I'll get back to my holistic approach to life and how it works with my profession later. Mainly, I just have to stop talking.