"I Know I'm Not Alone"

so tonight I'm going to experience some intense shit... well... not shit of course, but I use that word to describe a lot of different things, and this shit is definitly not of the kind that comes out of your arse!

but anyways, back to the subject...

I'm going to see a brilliant artist/activist/humanitarian who goes by the name Michael Franti. During his time in the middle east, he shot a film that speaks volumes about what exactly is going on over there... more than what you get through our media filters. I am really looking forward to experiencing this. He has such an amazing presence... Apparently his voice-overs are quite personal, along with the music accompanyment. It's going to be a sadly beautiful piece, I know it. He'll be performing solo (ie. without Spearhead) and acoustically afterwards... wow. I'm so stoked about this. The film is called I Know I'm Not Alone and he'll be at the Myer Horowitz Theatre at the Univeristy of Alberta. Check out the hyper links if you wanna know more about him and his film. I'm sure I'll be writing about this experience soon...

and i'm not in the best shape that i've ever been in, but i know where i'm going and it ain't where i've been...

so a few things have happened since my last post... which was a long time ago indeed! shall I start from the beginning? well, alright then! if you insist...

1. I got a job! yay! at *Remedy Café on 109 St. and just south of Saskatchewan Dr. I absolutely love everything about it and I think I fit in quite nicely! we serve yummy indian cuisine, as well as delicious coffee... and we're liscenced! it's crazy! this place is open til like 2am even on sundays! my shifts consist of pretty much just days, from noon til 6pm, and sometimes from 11 til 7, and I just might be starting full time next week which means that I won't have to look for a second job! the pay is minimum, but the tips are quite decent, more so than they were at Zuppa. I was supposed to work this past monday, but...
2. I came down with a throat infection of some kind!!! I woke up sunday morning feeling achy from the tip of my head to the tip of my toes then went and worked an 8 hour shift (which was really quite fun actually! I'm really getting the hang of everything and getting over the fact that I haven't worked in SO LONG!). that night though, hanging out with alana and shane and scotty, I became feverish... it wasn't a good night at all... I awoke the next morning with a terrible sore throat and it hasn't let up since. Zee sent me home within 5 mins of me arriving to work on monday! but I bought some Oil of Oregano and so hopefully it's offensive yet pert near magical qualities can remedy my poor throat soon... my jaw grows tired of clenching so tightly when swallowing...
3. before all this, my lovely soul sista Sahana flew me to ottawa to visit her and her lovely partner Davina! it was such a beautiful visit... I really got to know davina on a more personal level and am greatful for it. I can see what sahana saw in her and I completely approve! not that she needed my approval in the first place, of course! ;-) spending time with those women though really did a lot for my soul, my well-being... like a breath of fresh air on a crisp spring morning. thank-you both for an awesome week in our nation's capital! *muah*
4. but before even that, I CHOPPED OFF MY BEAUTIFUL DREADS!!!!! the cut I chose wasn't really any of the ones I had posted here for y'all to check out, more like a combo of a few of them... because I couldn't cut off each dread as evenly as I had hoped, the cut is a work in progress. at first, I couldn't even look at myself in a mirror! I felt so alienated from myself! I mean, it may sound silly, but I had a sort of identity crisis since I have NEVER known myself with short hair (childhood bowl cuts not included). while in ottawa, we went out to this bar and I was talking to the bartender and though I could see her lips were definitly moving, I couldn't hear a word she said cuz I was so preoccupied with thoughts of "holy crap! does she know I used to have long thick dreads? I wonder if I look better from this angle rather than that one? does this cut even suit me? do I look like that b-girl that just walked up to the bar? holy crap! all the girls in here have pretty much the same do! I look like everybody else now! can I handle this? is this me?...". ya. it wasn't pretty. but I'm for sure much more comfortable with it now and I promise that once I let someone take a picture of me, I will post it on here for all to see... perhaps from this saturday's party! party pictures are always fun! I'm debating on whether or not I should bleach it out... short hair's so great because I can do this shit and not worry too much about ruining it! we shall see...
5. and last but most certainly not least, I got 15 tickets to Ani DiFranco's gig at the Winspear Center on July 28/06! yay! not the front row center seats I really wanted, but really good seats considering they went on sale without any anouncement at all! shit... we (carly put them all on her credit card) bought out 2 entire rows and 3 seats of another row... and we pretty much have all the tickets accounted for too! I'm so friggen excited, and I can't hide it! I'm about to lose controle and I think I like it!

   *you know, with respect to no.1, I'd like to add that they don't have any sort of recycling initiative or plan in place and it really really bothers me. I'm trying to figure out ways that this place could improve and do its part in preserving the environment, but I feel as though I have no place as of yet to voice my concern considering I've only worked 3 shifts. I mean, with the amount of food waste - from the customers as well as the outdated foods - is incredible and would make a pretty healthy compost, but there isn't a whole lot of room for a compost. and the amount of 4l plastic milk containers we go through in just one day, there isn't even a reclycling box! and there's a recycling bin right outside for this very thing! the only stuff that does get disposed of properly are the cans and bottles which Zee takes weekly to the depot. I wonder if I should even bother asking about the recycling stuff or just go ahead and start a few things on my own... we shall see...

well, that's about all the new shit that's been happening... well, as far as what I dare share on here... there is of course a ton of shit going on in my head, but those thoughts are for the ol' fashioned journal - which hasn't been written in for quite a while now as well. I think the next time I write on here, something incredible would have had to happen, otherwise my life is pretty boring and not really worth writing about on here. just wait til I'm out and about again on this here globe! soon... soon... I just keep telling myself that.

glin glo swing

Well, I guess I won't be updating this blog so much now that I'm not really doing anything... I don't even have a job yet!! I hit the pavement yesturday and dropped a résumé off at 6 establishments though! Remedy Café, Highlevel Diner, Mosaics Café, The King & I - Thai Cuisine, DaDeO's, and the International Hostel just off Whyte. I guess now I play the waiting game and I really hate that cuz in the mean time, I'm not making any moula and it is MUCH harder to live for cheap in North America than it was in Cambodia or Thailand even... Luckily I have really sweet friends who have taken me in for however long I need: let's give a warm hello to the lovely Alana and her partner in crime Shane! Thank's dudes. Truly. So I've been meeting up with friends since having returned from my way-cool week in Vancouver with Kirsten. Upon my arrival into Edmonchuck, I was extatic to see a particular Simon Pacey waiting at the lovey couple's home after having been picked up from the airport - after a 3 hour delayed flight - by Alana. I was story-teller for the evening and it was a nice way to be received... I don't think I could have handled a big get-together at that point! I then spent a few days in crazy exciting (nb. sarcasm) Athabasca with Carly and realized for certain how I could never live in that town. haha Sorry Carly! In the words of a Metalica song: Sad But True. Got back last Wednesday night, left the next morning for Fort Crack with my bro... purpose: needed more clothes! How would you feel after wearing the same fucking thing for 6 months? heehee Spent a couple hours, saw my wonderful papa for about 40 mins, and then the Jermster & I hit the highway for the long drive back to the city of champions. Left the next morning for Calgary where I spent the weekend laughing my ass off with Monique and Erica (the woman who joined us in Spain). Met up with my for sure life-long friend Jami Cook for a yummy 3 hour lunch... AWESOME to see you girl!! Thank-you so much for driving all the way out for me! Met up with another old friend: Mike McQueen Jacobson for a few hours! Good times were had, my favorite part was the newly-renovated Chinook Center... not! Talking with Mike was fun though! :-) Got back again to the former home of what's his face legendary hockey player this past Sunday evening and I've been here ever since. How exciting eh? heehee

Though I'm not doing humanitarian work here, being back isn't so bad. I still don't feel I'm really living since the only place I felt that was in Cambodia... making positive change, being a part of that change, looking down on those beautiful little smiles... but I don't think I'll be heading down that crazy road any time soon. I'm too motivated! I need my precious marbles! Seeing my friends and family again is really good for my heart; I appreciate you more, I love you more. I really wish you could pull up a chair in the kitchen of my mind (cuz kitchens always end up being where the party's at) and see/experience for yourself what I experienced in Asia... what I experienced in Europe too!! I haven't forgotten about you Land of Zippy Ztaziki, Turkey lurkey do, Amsterdam (though that was a close call!), Praha, Germany, and like Ireland will ever slip my mind... Spain... Ya. Europe was cool. Don't think I'll go again until I can really afford to. Maybe retirement? heehee No no, I'm going back to Amsterdam in 2015 for a reunion tour with Monique! heehee I'll be 35 and you'll be, what, 37? Almost 40? haha Oh Monique, I know which buttons to press and they are always so exposed! But ya, those are longterm plans: always subject to change.

Speaking of change... I need some help! I'm chopping the dreaded locks! I want to bare my soul to all of you as well as my noggen! heehee Can you help me choose?

In order from the 1st to the 7th, from left to right across the page and down. What do you think? I know #2 probably won't be possible until my hair grows out a bit, but you never know... I might be able to comb out quite a bit to make it somewhat possible. I'm kinda diggin #3, the wee faux hawk! I've always wanted a fun short do! ~sigh~ Bye bye dreads...