It's a Small World After All

I attended another career workshop this morning, where I soon discovered that the facilitator happens to be the sister-in-law of a couple of my cousins. This isn't the first time I've made a small-world discovery in a career workshop. The son of another guy who attends used to go to my squadron once upon a time. Little things like these reminded me of a short essay I wrote back in February for a glorified year book that was being put out by Mohawk College. So, in spirit of that, I share with you now the original essay that I had written. A compressed version can be found in Mohawk College Alumni Today 2011 on page A243.

It's a Small World After All

I know you’ve heard the phrase before, the one, “it’s a small world.” Little did I realize just how true this phrase could be.

            

 To be honest, my post-secondary experience didn’t actually start with Mohawk. I had originally moved from Southern Ontario to Thunder Bay to study aviation at Confederation College, better known as Confed.

             

 “Small World” experience number one: I was living in residence, and I learned that one of my Residence Advisors had actually grown up a few minutes away from my home. Yep. My R.A was once my neighbour, and I know exactly where her old house is.

            

 “Small World” experience number two: When I was seventeen, I was fortunate enough to learn how to glide (fly airplanes without engines) at a flight school a couple hours away, compliments of a scholarship from my now-former Air Cadet squadron. I had heard stories of a former flight student who had to make an emergency landing, and ended up dumping his glider in a bull pen that was outside the airfield. Well, that pilot happened to be one of my classmates, and he soon became one of my friends. He was quite amused to learn that he was glider school legend.

            

 But, alas, my time in aviation was to be cut short, as I’d been defeated by my two kryptonites, math and physics. So, I changed programs, and I spent my second semester focusing on my other love: letters and words.

            

 After that semester ended, I moved back home, spent the summer working, took a trip to Germany, and when January came, I was back in the classroom. This time, I was giving the Writing for Publication certificate at Mohawk College a try. Once again, my world became a wee bit smaller, much to my amusement.

            

 “Small World” experience number three: I was attending my classes, and one night, one of my teachers makes mention of my hometown, along with a tidbit of information that only a member of my community would know. If you guessed that he was once a member of my community, you’d be correct. The best part? Once upon a time, that teacher attended elementary school with my uncle.

             

 “Small World” experience number four: There was a girl in two of my classes whom I had become fast friends with. In her words, “we bonded over mutual annoyance.” Well, the idea of six- degrees of separation was thrown out the window and was replaced with two because it turned out that I went to school with her cousins while growing up, and those cousins also happen to be neighbours with my sister’s best friend.

            

 By this time, you’d think that the world couldn’t get to be much smaller. I went through a couple of part-time jobs before landing an awesome contract position. By this time, I’d graduated from Mohawk with my writing certificate, and started work on my Bachelor of Arts in English from Athabasca University via correspondence. No, I didn’t get a long-lost relative or community member as a course tutor, but there’s still time. No, the gods would have a sense of humour with my job instead.

             

 “Small World” experience number five: I’d applied for a contract position at one of the local steel mills, and was fortunate enough to be offered a job, which I’d readily accepted. Awesome. The funny part? I was sent to work in the same department as my dad, and no, it wasn’t planned. It just kind of happened that way. I swear, I’m telling the truth! I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!

             

 “Small World” experience number six: I sat in a classroom twice a week with the friend of a co-worker.

            

 “Small World” experience number seven: I probably met one of my co-workers when I was in high school and didn’t even know it, as his daughter used to play hockey with one of my closest friends, and I’d sometimes go and watch her games.

             

 You often hear that you just never know who you’ll meet on your journey through life. Perhaps those people will also be separated from you by two degrees. So, to those of you who I’ve met thus far, thank you for making the journey interesting. And those people would be:

My friends, for the endless amusement and inspiration.

My family and peers for their guidance, past, present, and to come.

And

The Slitter “B” Crew for being patient with me, and tolerant of me while I do my homework between coils, and for encouraging me in the best way you know how. Yes, my name is spelled correctly, yes, I’m studying hard instead of hardly studying, and no, I won’t lay off the five-dollar vocabulary.

            

 All the best on your respective journeys, and may your worlds always become a little bit smaller.

Original write date: February 23, 2011

The Young Voters' Debacle

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for not posting yesterday. Please forgive me. I'll try to make up for the lost day, I promise.

Carrying on...

I had a brief, but interesting discussion this morning after networking group. One of the participants is a volunteer with one of the major political parties (which he would neither confirm nor deny). He and one other group member started to discuss who will likely win which riding, and so forth. Of course, these were all the viewpoints of people who are much older than myself (if any of you are reading this, by no means am I calling you old), so I opted to input a perspective from a person who happens to be in her early twenties: my own. I had suggested that if the party leaders were smart, they would listen to Rick Mercer's rant regarding the Federal election, and seriously consider targeting the youth, those of us who are between the ages of 18-25. Well, wasn't that the spark of something interesting, or perhaps that's just my youthful perspective. Apparently party leaders don't target the youth population because we supposedly don't care, and therefore can't be bothered voting. I happen to strongly disagree with this idea. Perhaps that's because I voted in my first election at 18, and I have made damn certain to vote in every election since. From that volunteer's perspective, he's gone door to door, trying to talk to people about voting, and people just don't seem interested, especially we young people. I'd suggested that perhaps the reason why many youth don't bother to vote is because the party leaders and their cohorts have never actually stopped and considered what might be important to those of us of the younger generation, let alone actually ask us for our input. Now before anyone goes jumping down my throat, hear me out. A few years ago, I was wandering through the commercial buildings at the Binbrook Fair with a couple of friends of mine. There was an election coming up (please forgive me, but I cannot remember if it was Federal or Provincial), and though the four major parties had booths at the fair, only one was smart enough to nab my friends and I. Was it a party I was considering voting for? No, however, the representatives mentioned that they knew we young people were the next generation of voters, and if any time was a good time to try to convince us of a party to believe in, nabbing us while we were young was the best way to go. Yes, we young guns are stereotyped with what's important to us: education and jobs, but can you blame us? From the time we start pre-school to the time we're finished grade twelve, we're taught that you can't get a job unless you have a post secondary education. Okay, fair enough, but that still doesn't completely explain why something like jobs and education are important to us youth. College diplomas and university degrees don't come cheap! Unless you qualify for OSAP, are smart enough for scholarships, or are awarded bursaries, an education is one of the biggest purchases, if not the biggest purchase, that a young person is going to make. If our fancy pieces of paper don't land us jobs, how are students supposed to pay off their debts? Not itty bitty debts that are $10 here, or $300 there, but thousands of dollars! Now do you see why education and jobs could be considered important to young people? If I had to choose, I'd say education would be most important right now, and not just so we can have better professions as the results. As I've stated, school is terribly expensive. If a party leader were to say, "if elected Premiere of this wonderful province we call home, I'll lower the costs of post-secondary tuition," holy snappin', do you realize how many youth just might be turned onto voting?

See? Finding out what's important to us wouldn't be a waste of time, because remember, one day, we will be the ones determining who leads us in this wonderful province and great country of ours. Be smart, and start convincing us now! 

For more on my views about voting, please refer to my post, "Your Paper Voice," which can be found in the September section.

Happy 1st of October

Here we are at the start of a brand-new month, and today's chill was definitely living up to October's -ber suffix. The air was crisp, the sun was bright, the leaves were vibrant, and the wind knocked more walnuts out of our trees than we know what to do with. I swear, the driveway's a walking hazard, all those golf-ball size walnuts scattered all over the place. And the trees are still loaded! After a while, my family no longer hears them thud against the house, they fall so often. Oh well. I suppose worse things could go thunking onto our roof.

Today was also fantastic as it was spent with some very dear friends, and came fully equipped with good food, great conversation, and an October staple: Apple cider. Nothing says autumn in October more to me than a big glass of cider. Hot or cold, I'll drink it either way. Cheers, everyone! Fall is in the country! While out with these friends, we played a board game that was new to me, called Ticket to Ride. It is really quite a clever game where you're given destinations, and you have to try to make your train get from one city to another. Explaining it is somewhat difficult, however when you get to playing it, Ticket to Ride is really quite simple. Even though I lost, I still managed to hit the jack pot as I had the entire Eastern Seaboard under my little green trains' control. I was really quite pleased with myself. If you ever want a game that's simple yet strategic, I suggest trying Ticket to Ride. Another great game under this category is Dominion, but I'll save that for another day.

Anyways, I shall keep this short as it's getting late in my part of the world. Besides, taking over the Eastern Seaboard is tiring work, even if it was only with a board game. Happy first of October, everyone! Don't forget to celebrate with a nice glass of cider!

Child Cancer Sucks!

Leukemia sucks. Leukemia sucks. LEUKEMIA SUCKS! No, I don't have leukemia, nor have I ever, but my eight-year-old cousin does. He was diagnosed two and a half years ago on my sister's sixteenth birthday. Ever since, we've been counting down to March 10, 2012, the day we get to hear those two glorious words: cancer free. In the meantime, there's still plenty to be done, such as cursing leukemia's existence while raising awareness, and educating people as much as possible. I'm not an expert by any means, but I'll do the best I can.

For those who don't know, September is Child Cancer Awareness month. Earlier in the month, my cousin and his family spent a night in Toronto, as the CN Tower was going to glow gold, the result of a campaign from a young girl who understood cancer all too well. Her goal? Make the public more aware of childhood cancer. Unfortunately, I missed the occasion, but I'm of the understanding that it was quite the spectacle. I hope that by the time all was said and done, she was able to say to herself, "mission: accomplished".

Naturally, when you hear "leukemia", many negative thoughts swirl through your mind. It's human nature. When we first heard, "it's leukemia," trying to find something positive in amongst the Sea of Not Fair and What the Hell?! wasn't easy, but we managed to find things to smile about. A little over a year ago, my cousin and his family came over for an afternoon visit. As we'd had plenty of rain, our ditch was flooded, so I'd suggested that we make boats. Bear in mind that at this time, my cousin had lost most of his hair, thus revealing a few birth marks. Next thing we knew, my mother had taken a bright green marker, and played connect-the-dots on the side of his head, creating what looked like a sail boat. My cousin giggled at the silliness. Before long, his younger brother had a green boat on his cheek to match the one on the side of his big brother's head. We'd rather have something silly like the green marker boat, or a fascination for electricity define my cousin, not his cancer. However unlike playing connect-the-dots, not all positive aspects result from happy endings. To better understand such a proclamation, you must first travel back in time, approximately 82 years ago.

My great gram once had a brother who was a year older than her. When he was in his teens, he became incredibly unwell. Naturally, great gram's family sent for the doctor, however, he couldn't figure out what was wrong. In an attempt to find answers, doctors from the city were called upon with the belief that they would certainly have a cure. Sadly, a few weeks later, at the age of sixteen, great gram's brother passed away. Back in the 1920's, doctors had no clue what leukemia was, resulting in those city physicians chosing to study my great uncle. From what I've been told, great gram's brother was one of the earliest cases of leukemia in the area. To this day, my family firmly believes that those doctors found something with my great gram's brother 82 years ago that's helping my cousin conquer cancer today.

I've definitely become more educated since my cousin was diagnosed. For instance, I've learned that there's more than one type of leukemia, and that the side effects of my cousin's meds have resulted in everything from temporary weight gain, to hair loss, to mood swings. I've also learned that low neuts allow opportunistic viruses to have a field day, but most of all, I've learned that he's tougher than I'll ever be. He has the bravery beads to prove it.

September may be over, but being aware of child cancer must never cease. Knowledge is power, and one day that power will make leukemia all but a memory. Five more months, and counting...

Take a Breath, and Find Your Centre

Someone I know through a mutual friend posed a statement and question earlier that read, "we all need to take a moment sometimes to just breathe. What do you to to centre yourself?" In my mind, most of the responses seemed rather typical. Read, listen to music, the general stuff that falls into this category. I'd said that sometimes, centring myself is as simple as shutting my eyes for a few moments. I was then asked if I have a mantra to go along with it. Have a find-my-centre mantra? No, I can't say that I have one of those, however, I did mention an exercise that I used to do in high school drama class. The teacher would sometimes have the class lie down on the floor. We'd be told to close our eyes, and clear our minds, a simple, meditative-like way of finding our centres. Sometimes, when I'm having difficulty sleeping, I still do this simple exercise. I let myself go, and feel the ultimate relaxation come over me. Next thing I know, it's the next day, and I'm not only well rested, but still feeling somewhat relaxed. Of course, if I'm not wanting to sleep, reading and listening to jazz music can have a similar effect, but for a conscious, R.E.M equivalent, taking a moment to shut my eyes can work wonders. What works for you?

Your Paper Voice

My mother and I went to the advance polls today, as there is the Ontario election next week. Such a simple thing to do, marking that "x" on my ballot. We were mere moments in the polling station, the time shorter than the length of a song on the radio. When we were leaving, I'd remarked to my mum how there will be so many people who won't bother to take those few minutes out of their day to vote, whether it's on the election day itself, or at the advance polls, my personal preference.

I wonder if people realize just how important the right to vote really is? Granted, some people refrain simply due to ignorance, or the pitiful excuse that they just didn't have time. News flash! By law, your employer must allow you time to vote should the polling stations open after you've arrived at work, or close before you shift has ended. Therefore, to say, "I didn't have time" is an unacceptable excuse. As for people who are out of country, I saw this video with Canadian voters outside of Canada who had acquired a special type of ballot that managed to allow them to still vote. Still, I doubt people understand why such an attitude frustrates me to no end, so I suppose I ought to explain myself.

We live in Canada, the best damn country in the universe, where we get to live peacefully and free without a second thought, or a fear in the world. Other countries aren't as fortunate. Wars run rampid, rain is made up of shrapnel and bullets, and voting is only reserved for a select few. People in these Third World countries would give their lives just to be able to go to a polling station. So many more already have. To not take advantage of the right that people are literally dying for flabbergasts me. Since when is marking an "x" difficult? I realize that deciding who to vote for can be tough, however, there are numerous resources in this province that help make the decision easier. When the candidates go on their campaign trail, the media is all over them like vultures, or the paparazzi. Finding candidate and party platforms is fairly simple as every word, and breath in between, can be found in newspapers, the televison, and the internet. And don't forget about the televised debates, where every party leader lets the people know exactly where they stand on the issues of most importance. Start your search with an idea of what's important to you, and basically match up your beliefs with the candidate whose values are similar to yours. If you've ever sat in a civics class in high school, you've already done the bulk of this research as you did an exercise that helps you determine where you sit on the political spectrum.Was that so hard? No. So people can't say that they didn't know who to vote for.

Earlier this year, just before the Federal election, one of my best friends and I had a rather heated debate about voting, particularly marking ballots. He believes that if you don't like any of the candidates, then you should be able to spoil your ballot. Take it, and not mark a damn thing on it. He claims that it is a form of silent protest. I think it's ignorant of our right, our freedom, a mockery of what many others do not have. "If you weren't going to mark your ballot, why did you even bother wasting not only your time, but the time of others, of those who actually want to put a ballot with an "x" in the box?" I don't care who you vote for, but dammit, you had better vote!

What irks me even more is when females don't bother to go to the polls. My god! Ladies, do you even realize how lucky you are? Probably not, so here's a little education for you. I hope you enjoy history.

Once upon a time, in a nation in North America, called Canada, women had no rights. They weren't considered people, and they certainly were not permitted to vote. My great gram's mother fell into this category, along with my great gram herself, and her sisters as well. In the late 1920's, a beautiul thing happened. The Person's Case, in 1927, I do believe. Women, after going through more decades than I care to count, were finally considered people. They were finally allowed to go to the polls, and mark a ballot. My great gram was in her early teens, her sisters in their late twenties, early thirties, her mother likely an old woman, if she was still alive (I don't know what year she died). I remember this, my great gram once being considered something other than a person, every time I hit the polls. I think of how lucky I am.

I remember the first time I voted. I was 18, and it was a Federal election. My mum took my great gram and I to the advance polls. Great gram teased me, saying that her vote was going to cancel out mine. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was the other way around. She was just glad that I was finally old enough to take part. Our polling station was at Participation House, and I think my mum and great gram knew all of the people who were running the operation. We mentioned that I was a first time voter, and the election volunteers became quite excited. I remember being given my ballot, told how to mark it, how to fold it, and I was directed to the screens that had the pencil. Ballot marked, I folded it up, and went over to the ballot box, the room quiet at the time. As soon as I slipped that paper through the slot at the top, the room erupted in thunderous applause. What an awesome experience! My mum's favourite part was having three generations of ladies all out to the polls in the same room at the same time.

One more thing, before I end my wild tangent. If you're too young to vote, I believe that you're given the right to have a political opinion on the condition that when you're old enough, you hit the polls. If you're voting age, and choose not to, you forfeit your right to have a political opinion, regardless of how positive it may be. I say positive as the majority of opinions I hear are negative. And the youth? Hello! To paraphrase Rick Mercer, scare the living hell out of the government, and get out there and vote! Our politicians target every group under the sun, but more often than not, they forget about us, the youth. Now, let's get out to the polls, make our voices heard, and become a politician's worst nightmare!

This election, think of the people who have never been given the chance to mark a ballot, think of the people who likely never will, and the women in Saudi Arabia who have just been told by King Abdullah that they will finally be permitted to vote in their next munincipal election, and even run in politics, should they have the desire. Remember my great gram, her mother, her sisters, and how they once had no rights, now to be considered people. Come election time, the most important voice we have is our paper one. May Ontario hear it loud and clear!


Below are links to "Vote Mob Abroad", and Rick Mercer's "Vote" rant. Videos compliments of YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJhL09H3JtE

 

http://www.youtube.com/mercerreport#p/u/45/OYgwUQTSC3I

Review: Before I Go to Sleep

Before I Go to Sleep, a novel by S.J Watson, is a fantastic first-person suspense story told from the journal entries that make up the memory of Christine Lucas. The tale is fictional, however, the ideas are rather close to reality. Imagaine waking up every morning, not knowing who you are, let alone what you did the day before. This is the day-to-day reality of Chistine, the existence of a woman whose husband and doctor have to explain her life to her on a daily basis. At the recommendation of her doctor, a man her husband doesn't know about, Christine starts to keep a secret journal as a means of piecing her life back together. Sound suspicious? It ought to as Christine soon discovers that her reality might actually be someone else's twisted fantasy. Those who she ought to trust, and had trusted, don't appear to be who they seem. This book was difficult to put down, and ironically, I'd read it before I'd go to sleep. When I first picked it up, I had only intended to read a chapter or two before getting some shut-eye. Next thing I knew, I'd blown through 40 pages, and my clock read 2am. If that doesn't indicate the start of a good book, I don't know what does. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense novels and psycological thrillers. A few things were repetitive, but necessary for the character's development. Give it a go. It won't put you to sleep.