Two days until I set out to Prince Rupert. A little stressed about getting rid of my sewning table, when I had the weather statistics of Barrow Alaska to brighten my day. Dispite the fact that there is 24 sunlight....
Normal June high temperature: 4 Celcius
Normal June low: - 1
so the average is something like -1 to 4 Celius.
Speachless. Typeless.
> Marine Ecology | Date Science | Scientific Computing
Monday 30 April 2007
Saturday 28 April 2007
Goodbye Environment Canada
The thai tie a string around theirwrist to bond their guides/spirits to them while they undergo huge
transitions. Well, from a downtown highrise, to living out of my
backpack on the Haida Gwaii, I wonder how long my spirits will linger
at 401 Burrard St. Vancouver, the Environment Canada office where I
worked for the last 8 months.
Being stripped of your security
card is like turning in your apartment key, somehow... homeless,
normal citizen, or just rearranged a bit.
I said goodbye to my
boss, Risa, who is one of the smartest persons I've met. I said
goodbye to the other student and my colleagues. I'll miss them, and
other things too: 8 months in government office culture and the
grandiose issues of the environment becomes addictive - the self
importance, the wide network of professions, the opportunities for
growth, mentoring. Oh, and the dark insights into the
anti-environmental crusade of the Harpers.
Hard to imagine
myself without having worked at EC, without this knowledge I'm
accumulated. A gathering of a thousand scientists at the Georgia
Basin Puget Sound Science Conference, and I placed 3rd of 37 students
for my presentation of my time at Environment Canada, a testiment to
what I learned and the importance of my job - measuring the status of
our ecosystems.
Goodbye!
Scoil Rince De Danaan Irish Dance
In irish dance, your whole body becomesa percusive instrument. Like a military drum role, rata tat tat with
the hard shoes. Though I'm ungangly and disproportionately weak and
strong, I flare with energy and enjoy bouncing around the hall for
over two hours. Plus, perhaps call it theraputic or spiritual, there
is something to dance. Like singing, dancing has a deep root in the
history of our species.
I was lucky to have a great class,
great dynamics and a great instructor, a lot better than my last
stint in Alberta. I wonder if I invest more time into it, if I can
make a semi-career out of it... hmmm, like a fatter version of
Riverdance... nah, I'll waste thousands of dollars in lessons and
physiotherapy bills.
The beginning of the ends. This is the
last class of Irish Dance at the Scoil Rince DeDanann. Will I be able
to dance in Alaska? Sweden? Will my body remember the movements when
I return to vancouver in a god knows how many years?
Frogger
Aug 20th 2006
The Great Bear rainforest is spiky like
a porcupine. It has old old grey snags like spires, more numerous
than the Helmlock or pine. I look at the shores of Vancouver and miss
the old growth, the standing dead, and my god the beautiful
intertidal! Anenomes, mussels, crabs, stars, herring fish. We found
the most northern occurrence of the endangered red-legged frog, while
beach in swells and trudging up steep mainland thickets. Why would I
ever leave BC, when we have the forests, the sea, and the marriage of
the two?
Now, we'll analyze the data, for
Klara's masters. This could be a good break for me too, doing a real
study, helping from start to the end.
Stina the Cat
Oct
22.05
Perhaps Klara and I will do up to Linköpping to get a
cat--oh, the heartache, that such a relationship milestone, the pet,
occurs at the end of my time in Gothenburg. Well, it had to end sooner or later. Sweden has become
something of a second home to me... I always say that, but every year
the pain is greater each time I move.
Seal Rehabilitation
Aug 16.05
Back from Zeehonden Creche in
the Netherlands. What to say, you can look in my photos section for
the pictures for the cute baby seals, whom we feed, cleaned, and
assisted nurses with other care. Seeing the personalities of the
seals, their curousity, sociability and playfulness, I was haunted by
the grim Canadian inheritance of 350000 dead seals annually in the
maritimes, in fact the largest slaughter of wild mammals on the face
of the planet, period.
Must stop the killing, must devote my
energies to saving our bludgeoned marine friends. Most Canadians
don't know about it, thinking we are civilized a people, in
comparison to the monsters down south: a ignorant assumption, and
begets our collective inertia to take responsibility for the
industries that rape the planet under our name.
The Epic Norwegian Hitchhike
June
28.05
Just back from an epic hitchhike in Northern Norway. I
loved the midnight sun especially, such a convience for two weary
tenters seeking places to sleep. Thanks to Jenny, friend from Lund
and whale watcher guide, we got cheap tickets to see some diving
sperm whales. They go down a 1000m with phosphorlescent bacteria in
there mouths, eating 18m´beaked squid! Amazing. Hitching in
Napp, on the slate and shale rocks in the Jotenheimen, the Home of
the giants, and many great people.
Soon, I'll head to Netherlands
to volunteer at a seal rehabiliation centre. Sad to leave my friend
Klara here in Göteborg.
June 3.05
I was the top of
the class for both courses that I took here in Lund. The only other
canadian chick did as well in her courses. Must be the canadian
inferiority complex.
So, now i'm off to the artic circle, northern
Norway. I feel a bit sad always moving around. 5 months here. 8
months there, for the past three years non-stop. Christ. My heart
can't take it anymore.
May 14.05
I am contributing once
again to this page because Klara Jansson, this pretty swede from
Gothenburg has been reading my webpage, so here it goes...
We just
returned from a week long field trip in Småland, a pine and
spruce region of southern sweden, studying three small lakes. My partner, being the typical ultra-modern swede, was quick to skinny dip with professors and TAs, though I am more bashful.
I love this countries eduction: chilling with Camerooni cats and benthic invetebrates, while it
hailed, rained, and shone warm spring sun down on us. Very nice!
Jan 13.05
I'm in Sweden now, Lund University.
Lots of bikes and geothermally heated homes, oh ya!
Alberta
OCT
07 04
Just returned from a week hitchhike of alberta, and dispite
the warnings of my rasist housemates and work friends, I wasn't
mugged and rapped by angry Indians and Rednecks. I've returned with a
sad understanding of this Albertan economy: oil and gas, indirectly,
directly, these people are embedded in it. Talking with so many
workers with such vested interests in the industry, I now realize
that this place will tolerate the most noxious denial of global
warming, least the cognitive dissonance drive them insane. Aren't we
all though, as bad as Albertans? Though our values are different from
these oil-barrons, in the end, our behaviour is the same: "keep
on truckin'." I made it as high as High Level, but the muskeg
coolness was making me wary tenting it. Heading down to the peace
Rive country (land of the 12 foot davis), the temperature was as high
as 20, beatiful. Grande Prairie sucked (ugly sprawling oil
boom-town), as it was the longest I had to wait to catch a ride down
to Grande Cache, and it seemed like everyone who passed me by was
also given me the look like "what a fuckin scum bag, as if i'd
pick him up!" Camping by Grande Cache was great, in the
footfills of the Rockies, given the lord's blessing from a driver. Of
course, the route from Jasper to Banff was stunning, and I camped by
the most idyllic lake, with violent spirally mist over purple
twilight water, with the brooding grey fortress of the rockies in the
background. I even got a pretty girls number (there always seems to
be at least one chick who picks me up on these silly
adventures.
Perhaps the best was meeting my 2nd Cousin, David
Rankin, and his family, in Ghost Lake. Ah, I thought I a freak of
nature in my family; at last, someone who shares my moral
disposition! A fellow lefty, post-modern optimist and social justice
activist. I was a little anxious at first, David being a minister,
but, of course, what other profession is a better vehicle for helping
those in need. His family was also great. Meeting my Godmother was
great too: another aware and conscientious individual, living in
Calgary, home to 20000 Amreekans, and has lapsed into a level of
rightwing acquiecence approaching 1935 Nazi Germany (they call
Edmonton Redmonton! Us, communists! Us!)
Hitchhiking is
great. I do it because a) it is the most intimate form of
transportation with total strangers, b) you really see Karma in
action, c) cheap d) frivilous travel in gasoline cars is spit in the
face of our grandchildren, but sharing rides lessens the burden.
SEP 19 04
I ran the terry fox run today, on a gorgeous
fall day. I enjoy the change of the seasons the anticipation of
change, however good or bad. Tomorrow is my birthday. 22. And I feel?
What will I do, Irish dancing, oh yeah.
SEP 5 04
I
received my 4-season tent, and I am scheming a chilly hitchhike up to
yellowknife. Hopefully. Though, I must admit I am a bit anxious. All
my racist albertan coworkers warm me that i will get hurt from the
natives and hicks up there. I can't say, but, knowing the provincial
worldview of albertans I hope that peace and compassion will see me
safely up there, or perhaps i am naive.
I also have my guitar
now, and, alas, i barely leave my basement room, wanting only to fill
this
lonely place with beautiful creations.
AUG 21 04
I
got bored and actually added another section: biography.
AUG
20 04
The mornings are cooler, the evenings darken quickly, and
the last summer festival is wrapping up. I must endure another 4
months in edmonton, at my Laboratory. It is like an assemby line of
chemical tests. Look around you, North Americans, and know that the
high standard of living, as economists define, brought about by high
productivity, that is, less resources for more national output, and ,
therefore, lower costs, has been possible because of dehumanising
jobs. I guess too, a clean environment, by my creative vacuum of a
job.
JUN 05 04
Some introspection: what is the purpose in
life? I used to be such a driven person. I delved into the
intellectual mysteries of physics, psychology, and religions;
deliberately subjecting myself to any and all stranges circumstances,
bizarre experiences like a koan to attack the comfortable norms and
mental heuristics that blinded me from that nascent Truth of
existence.
I think i looked into the heart of one of the
shallower stages of enlightenment once, while meditating But i was
scared, and chose not to. It would make me peaceful, yes, but I
needed the unconscious rage to fuel ambition. I am an intellectual,
not a sensitive yogi, not a nurturer, and I have much need of
ambition. For what??
Im not too sure. But from my endeavours in
religion, i picked up a lot of compassion.
"from the clouds
of wisdom, let compassion rain down indescriminantly upon all
beings"
MAY 30 04. Go OPEC go!! Oh, I love high gas
prices. And I hate cars. More people in ontario die from poor air
quality than breast cancer, and most of that is more private
transportation.
Ventured out into some of the edmonton meat
markets last night, though im hardly a wooer. Now im tired as hell
and have to go to work today, sunday. At least i can listen to the
cbc there, and not be bothered by all the weekday staff. Go OPEC go.
Fuck car culture.
MAY 12 04
Zen at work in a lab coat.
Boring coworkers. Sigh, and I need to find someone to belay with!!
MAY 05 04.
I want to bike across Canada and give
environmental workshops along the way. I need funding though. If you
want to join me, send me an email.
Anyway, I had my third day at
EnviroTest Laboratories in Edmonton Alberta, as a BOD analyst, which
is a really mindless position, actually. I am oddly surrounded by
asian and polish women, one or two of them who are cute. I wonder how
I will manage to survive this silly job, how I think back so fondly
about my time in Niagara-on-the-lake, living with Mexicans, teaching
ESL, being outside all the time, and loving my friend Sophie.
MAY
01 04.
About a week now in Edmonton. Truly a land for cars, and
very anti-pedestrian. I finally landed a place to live, a rickety old
store-converted into a college house. The housemates seem nice,
though I always wonder how i'll relate to them in the long run.
I
was afraid that I how have to eat industrail-feed, but met a girl
Emma at the local farmer's market who told me all about all the cheap
organic spots. Now, I will go eat an organic orange, yee-haw! I LOVE
ALBERTA BEEF---> prominent bumper sticker, must destroy!
APR
16 04. Well, just finished my first year at SFU. Now, Im off to the
island, and then onto Alberta!
APR 3 04.
Added some more
photos.
MAR 29 04.
I am wrapping up here at SFU. I am
changed, but not for the better.
OCT 17 03.
the photo
section is up.
SEPT 21 03.
The summer is over and I miss
all my friends back on the peach farm in Niagara-on-the-lake. I had a
great time living and working with mexican migrant workers, and doing
ESL lessons in the evening. Now, i am on my way out west to study
environmental science at SFU.
Friday 27 April 2007
SEPT 21 03.
SEPT
21 03.
The summer is over and I miss all my friends back on the
peach farm in Niagara-on-the-lake. I had a great time living and
working with mexican migrant workers, and doing ESL lessons in the
evening. Now, i am on my way out west to study environmental science
at SFU.
Environment Canada
Fall 2006 - Spring 2007, working on an ecosystems status and trends report, in vancouver.
Irish Dance
De Danann Scoil Rince of Burnaby, lead by the lovely Leslie Wilson, and populated by wonderful dancers.
coastal ecosystems research foundation
august 2006, on the hunt for red-legged frogs, for Klara's master's project
Frontier College
Canada actively imports migrant labour from Mexico to work as farm workers. Not immigrants, but migrants, half the time in Canada but with no rights as citizens. These cheap, abundant, expendable men and women are pressured by racist farmers to work under dangerous conditions, forego proper pesticide protection, at an insane pase, with vocalized threats of being fired hanging over them constantly. Myself and two labourer-teachers, lived and worked with migrant workers and taught ESL lessons in the evenings. Niagara-on-the-lake, ON, sumer 2003.
Para bailer la bamba!!! Si necessita mucho de gracia!
Brasil
WWOOFing on a yoga farm, Anthroposophic farm, finding my Dad's long lost friends in Balmerio-Camburiu, and off to Peru!
Canada World Youth, Peterborough India
After high school, I did a 7 month program where a group of 8 Canucks and 8 Bharati lived half the time in Peterborough Ontario and the other half in Nagina India, volunteering fulltime in local NGO's and/or social services. Myself and my counterpart, the handsome Mohammed Rashid, researched rural boys knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and worked at an old folks home. I miss Rashid and his family to this day.
Sunday 22 April 2007
Tuesday 17 April 2007
Monday 16 April 2007
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