red hair of an ogre

Sex Sex Sex

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:37:48 GMT

Abstinence-Only produces results.

I just went through a brief obsession with the early years of the AIDS crises. As far as STDs go, HIV/AIDS seems to be the ultimate one. It was first noticed as a mysterious rash of illnesses such as Kaposi's Sarcoma striking young men, causing them to suffer and die from ailments that were usually associated only with older men (from CBC Archives).

At this time, we have many ways of treating HIV/AIDS. We have drugs that control it for many years, and allow people who have contracted it to live fulfilling lives, so it's not the death sentence it was in the '80s. We're even making major advances as far as prevention goes. But a CONDOM remains the only way to really contain the virus.

We all make stupid decisions sometimes when we're drunk. Or young and easily bullied. Or whatever. I think most people who are sexually active have slipped up at least once and had unprotected sex. At least we're usually vaguely aware that it's a BAD idea.

But listening to the different bits about the early years of the AIDs crises on CBC's archives was frightening. How terrifying it would have been, to be a young person, hearing about this virus. Or to contract it. And yet, the easy assumption that it was a "gay" or "junkie" disease - made bitterly obvious by people saying, as I've heard very occasionally today "Oh, I don't sleep with people who hang around people like that".

I suppose the rash of musicians and celebrities dying from AIDS at the time helped make people feel frightened and worried about the virus.

And, it seems that the advent of HIV/AIDS at least helped to push people towards a more public and more comprehensive sex education, even with all the shock that sexuality was even mentioned on public media.

I've been ranting about this a lot lately, it seems. One reason why I cannot bring myself to ever support religious world charities, especially if they're working in Africa. The movement for abstinence as a solution to the spread of AIDS (which isn't just a crisis in Africa, it affects many developing countries, Africa is just the most publicized) is, in my opinion, a crime against humanity. The consistent blocking of Sex Education, in the face of the AIDS virus (as the US government spearheaded under George Bush, as the Catholic Church strongly supports, and many other Christian charities) is a fucking travesty. But hey, it's making LOTS of money for the big drug companies!! (Go team "morality"). Condoms are cheaper than life-long drug treatments - but what is it we invest in?

But it's frightening that people are talking about Abstinence-based sex education. Even though, everything suggests that Ab-Only is a BAD idea - at least in the States it has been. It's bad enough that many religious groups like to make people feel guilty for wanting or having sex. How fucking sinful it is to have a libido. But to willingly deny people the information and ability to take care of themselves, is criminal. It worries me that Obama hasn't done much to repeal the mistakes of Bush in that arena. And it worries me that Canada often likes to follow the US's mistakes like a lost and stupid puppy. Our current prime minister has a hankering for more Christian "morals" in our government and school systems (think about some of Alberta's more questionable policy shifts lately - ie. public funding for MORE religious schools - we should be cutting off the Catholic board, and rerouting EVERYTHING to public schools. Religious teaching should come from family and church NOT school and government*). We're not as well-educated as we should be already.

*It's not like that was Harper's personal policy, no. But Harper comes firmly entrenched in Alberta's more conservative end. He might be acting a little more central-ist lately, but he's also lately been going from minority government to election. If Harper ever wins a majority, we're in it deep.

Remembrance Day Rant

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:09:18 GMT

As I always do at approximately this point in the year, I write something about Remembrance Day.

No one that I know of really still reads this, so these are just words floating out on the internet, and this is unlikely to reach curious eyes.

I've said before that Remembrance Day makes my skin crawl lately - ever since it got mixed up with the September 11th attack on the twin towers. The reason this skin-crawling happens for me is that recent events in history have proven, again and again, that we haven't learned from the historical events that led up to World War I and II. We have barely even tried.

I want to respect and mark the sacrifice made by my grandfather and great grandfather in the states - and even more so I want to respect and mark the suffering my Opa went through during World War II (he never actively served, but spent the entire war in a German Prisoner of War Camp). I see it as an affront to their sacrifices that we use the day as a bolstering of nationalistic rhetoric.

It's also when we bemoan the sacrifice of our troops in Afghanistan. I respect that they have made quite a sacrifice, and it is very sad how these young men of today have gone overseas and they haven't come back. But it disturbs me greatly how we consistently forget to mourn the civilian loss that is occurring at the same time.

Perhaps Remembrance Day should be more about peace than it is about armies. We forget how World War II ended - with the single greatest attack on civilian life, by the United States. We forget how the way we fight wars today - although it reduces the number of deaths (sorry, casualties) on our sides - it has caused civilian deaths (sorry, casualties) to skyrocket.

Terrorism makes waging war far more complicated. But the way that we wage wars these day is akin to terrorism. We attack suspected army or terrorist bases, but we don't know. We have consistently caused greater loss of life of civilians. And the practice of caging up every "suspected terrorist" without trial, without sufficient research, and torturing them until they confess is purely barbaric. (I didn't expect the Spanish Inquisition).

So maybe, we should scrap the name. Instead of "Remembrance Day" maybe we should call it "World Peace Day" or some other tacky bullshit.

We complain about how terrible the World Wars are, but we haven't taken many lessons from them. We prefer, instead, to ignore them. I feel like that is the greatest act of disrespect to the memory of our elders.

Gloria Steinem = Love

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:44:42 GMT

I think reading her essay If Men Could Menstruate was what clinched my decision to become a feminist when I was in my adolescence.

Unfortunately, I scrolled down to read some of the comments on the second one... sigh... a bunch of guys saying that she should smile, if she wants to be taken seriously (ahem, this viddy is from the '80s, she was taken seriously).

Also, just last night, some douchebag stranger came up to me and told me I should smile and he would come home with me. Ya wanna know what I said? "Fuck off, wanker." I still want to know how many guys are ever told to smile by strangers. T'ain't cool.

Coffee Shop Archetypes

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:57:16 GMT

These quotes have not been altered in any way.

Annoying Vegan - (Carrot juice is almost murder)
Quote: "That's everything?" - "Can you make that with soy?"
Likes: Vegan food, tea, coffee, soy milk, veggie dee-lite, samosas, complaining about cheese, PETA, lecturing, undisciplined and wild children
Dislikes: Our "entire" menu, "lack of selection", platinum infusion tea (wild Albertan bee pollen), our inability to telepathically tell who is vegan and who isn't by simply looking at them.

Big Group o' Friends - (Mob that travels as one)
Quote: "Oooh, can I have a mocha?" "And a decaf!" "Make that mocha a latte!" "Juice!" "Coffee!" "Five bagels!" "Can you change my decaf to regular?" "Oh! And change mine to a latte!"
Likes: Talking loudly and all at once, big orders, huge amounts of coffee and food, confusion, drama, inflection.
Dislikes: Taking others into consideration, being quiet, waiting for orders, not getting full table service

Grumpy Hippy - (Kooky doesn't quite cover it)
Quote: "I'm 5 cents short, is that ok?" - "The government of Canada wants to put me in jail for voting."
Likes: CHEAP, the cheaper the better, vegan/vegetarian, organic, fairtraide, environmentally friendly, special treatment, animals, bargaining, a pot of tea refilled over and over again for the better part of our entire business day.
Dislikes: Full price, our lack of telepathy, tipping
* Often, the Grumpy Hippy has strange and unpredictable quirks.

Starbucksian - (Streamliners)
Quote: "Can I have a half-caff triple skim latte with vanilla?" - "Can I have a 1 1/2 shot latte?"
Likes: Extremely complicated drinks extremely quickly. The larger and more expensive the better. Pseudo-intellectualism.
Dislikes: Drip coffee.

Timmy's Ho - (Five cream, two sugar, no patience)
Quote: "Do you have normal coffee?"
Likes: HUGE cups, really really light medium roasts with a lot of caffeine, speed, a lot of sugar and milk/cream, double-doubles, triple-triples, etc.
Dislikes: Paying for fairtrade (even if it's barely a few cents more), having to put in their own milk/cream and sugar, probably also stevia.

Poor Student (Sit 'n sip)
Quote: "Do you have wireless internet?"
Likes: Drinks you can sip on, the Karma jar, quiet cafe, outlets, giant glasses of water, smoothies, health food
Dislikes: The big group o' friends, sharing space/outlets, certain music.

BONUS REGULARS
The Cobbler - (The Cobbler)
Quote: "Any more medium?"
Likes: Medium roast, cobbling
Dislikes: Waiting more than 10 seconds in line, empty brew pots

To be continued...

Something's Rotten...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:53:01 GMT

I read this story on the CBC news webpage.

My first instinct at the headline was: "Stop trying to make excuses", directed at the city of Toronto, not the strikers. (I'll be honest though: this whole strike deal is grating me a little; I support unions, and I support workers getting treated well... I tend to agree with giving workers more sick days and benefits, etc. But maybe we should spend a little time bulking up the regulations that protect part time workers not protected by a union? Heh, like me.)

But upon reading the article, I'm left somewhat confuzzeled.
a) if the ambulance was there within 9min, why was the building deemed unsafe to enter? Something reeks right there: poor people forced to live in sketchy apartments don't deserve emergency care? Or was there actually something going down outside the building that freaked the paramedics out? Because if it was just that the building looked a teensy bit sketchy, then I think that perhaps we've got a problem that goes a lot deeper than the garbage strike right there.
b) for a city that has emergency room problems, I'm sorry, let the rest of the union go on strike, but paramedics are really fucking important. Guys, peoples lives are in your hands. Don't let them die for a few more vacation days in a year.
c) I don't think that there's much reason to say that the strike is responsible for the man's death. I do, however, feel like something about the way that he was left untreated (with an ambulance sitting outside doing nothing but burning gas for at least 15 minutes) merits a full investigation. Something just stinks in this story.

Post-Scripted...
Follow-up article confirms (in my eyes) that something is rotten in this story. It doesn't really give all that much information, but I'm feeling like there was some form of negligence on the 911 side of things that contributed... and maybe the man would have just died anyway, but 45 minutes? But: "Toronto EMS chief Bruce Farr said Tuesday that an ambulance arrived at the scene within nine minutes but didn't enter the building due to 'health and safety concerns.'". That's the part of this story that just reeks most strongly for me. Vague "health and safety concerns". Either there had better have been a knife fight in the way, or the building had better have been condemned or on fire, or else "health and safety concerns" doesn't really cut it for me. Maybe a crowd of lepers or zombies mulling around outside and threatening to infect?

I'm sorry, it just sounds like "oooh, this building looks a little bit sketchy/dirty/filled with the wrong people, best not enter". Poor (or gay? was that the "health and safety concern"?) people don't have cooties. After how many years in study, paramedics should at least know that.

Canada Day Boo

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:48:50 GMT

I'm spending my evening packing to go to the States for a 4th of July family reunion in Wyoming.

So, in lieu of anything else, my small contribution to Canada Day is posting this here:

*I did not make the slightly crappy video. I won't make excuses on its behalf.

Of All the Stupid Twighlight Crap - Here's something I enjoyed

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:05:40 GMT

A Very Bitter, Angry, Political Post

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:48:05 GMT

This pisses me off.

In case you're wondering, it's a death toll with a small profile on every single Canadian soldier who's died in Afghanistan.

It's not that I don't respect their great sacrifice and blah, blah, blah. It's the fact that we make such a big fucking deal about each person from Canada who dies over there, and don't consider the death toll we are inflicting. And by we, I do include every single "allied" western state with their troops in the pudding over there. Oh, and we don't really seem to know how to differentiate between "insurgent" or "civilian", and please don't bother telling me that they're all one and the same. They're not. But no, those deaths don't deserve full profiles (why would they? They're "evil" and "terrorists", nevermind that we're the invaders), they can all be lumped together under the term "casualty" - as if killing a person was a simple whooops, accident of war. Casualty is such a fucking euphemism it makes me want to scream. It's like calling a glacier ice cream. Or something.

Anyway, it's not that I don't have much pity and compassion for the families of the Canadian soldiers who have gone to Afghanistan and died.

It's that as a country, we can't seem to muster up that compassion for people who are just trying to live day to day in Afghanistan and are still get KILLED. They, too, have (had) families who are in mourning for them. And sure, they didn't play hockey on that there ice rink in highschool and have a wife and two kids crying their eyes out in their lonely suburban home, but they sure as fuck had relatives too. And maybe there are no online profiles for those victims, but they were certainly ALL real people, every last one.

SO HAVE A LITTLE FUCKING RESPECT. I do feel bad for all these Canadians and Americans and Brits etc etc who have left their families and died over in Afghanistan or Iraq or whatever. And I feel bad for their families. But the truth is THEY ALL HAD A CHOICE. A civilian in the cross fire, however, did not. So just because we can make a spectacle of loss over here for each victim, don't forget THE PEOPLE OUR "BOYS" KILLED ARE PEOPLE TOO.

I Want This So Bad

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:22:24 GMT

Invader Zim "I LOVE CANDY!" Corset
Invader Zim GIR on pig Corset

Still Livin'

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:20:16 GMT

I know I haven't been a very good l-j friend.

I know I could be doing better.

I promise I'll make more of an effort soon.

But in the meantime, here's something I have done: get written about in a zine! Woo!
Artist Profile: inPrint Collective.

Let the coalition take over!

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:57:24 GMT

I'm so fucking pissed at the G.G. right now.

What a fucking waste of almost two months. Just let the coalition take over and give us a useful government.

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:34:07 GMT

This is absolutely disgusting.
Also probably the most tragic thing I've ever read.

Free the Weeds

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:36:21 GMT

The snow falls on the desolate city trees.

I feel bad for trees in the city. Their growth will always be stunted, flawed, trimmed, pruned. On sidewalks, they are planted like disposable annuals, to give the street a feeling of life, to make it seem like there's more than just fucking concrete everywhere. When the roots start cracking the concrete? When that little hole in the grate with a 5 inch radius is no longer large enough?

City-scape ruins the seasons for me. Summer is too hot, too intensified by asphalt. Winter is too cold, encouraged by wind tunnels through tall buildings. Spring and fall are livable, but I've never enjoyed them much in the city.

Trees in the city seem weak and sickly. Weeds grow like petite rebels, pulling and prodding, poking through the cracks in the sidewalk and the road. Bit by bit, digging, pushing. It's like a guerrilla war; no one can win, yet no one gives up. Crack open, fight back, pave over, different cracks appear.

Generations upon generations of seedlings, throwing themselves helplessly against the road. The sidewalk. Tireless, heroic.

Whenever I see a little seedling, poking through the crack on the sidewalk, I hope it will grow and grow and grow. Become a giant thistle bush, tall against the enslaved gardens and lawns.

Of course it is winter now, and no plants grow, save the sickly trees. The trees that look like Victorian orphans. Gathering a thin blanket of snow, hiding, camouflaged like lamp posts in the dark.

Logiscry

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:41:27 GMT

How have I suddenly become lost in the city?

No one's a worker anymore, but we're all working class. We're a servile society. Goodness gracious, no one's making anything, but we're all selling something. We all sell lemonade, but no one's ever touched a lemon. Sugar-added, Calcium-Enriched, Vitamin A, B, C fortified. The food of the gods. When did we stop eating real food? I eat eat eat eat and never am I full. But I've got all my vitamins. My bones be strong, my skin is still cancer-free. Do you worry about your mortality?

We're all very human, but we act as if were animals. Of course, we are still animals, but we want to differentiate. We want something better. I want something better. Does it count as prostitution if you're selling your body for an hourly wage, a fifteen minute break? Sure I don't have sex on the job, but I still feel screwed. How can I earn a living, pay for food, keep myself housed, and yet not buy into this cold and brutal world? Can I still sell my ticket back to you?

Love is a fallacy that I can't let go of. No one can. Of course it's all biological urge and a subconscious urge, desire, need to procreate. There is fact. No one may ever dispute it. But I am more than a blob of cells. I am more than blood, bone, muscle, fat, nerve endings and the lot of it. I am nothing but biological urge: eat, sleep. I am dense.

Ah! Ah! I never said I was stupid. But really, what is smart and stupid other than something we'll forget in generations? Since when did we look upon our ancestors with respect and admire their wisdom? Or, rather, when have I? Since I can only speak for myself, the one, the only, the single way I could ever happen experience is through my veneer of identity classifications. In fifty years, I will loll around in a haze, stumble in ragged slippers and sip tea.

We've been saying the world will end. But how much of this is true? Certainly the world is going through changes. But can the world end, or must it live on in agony? If global warming strikes (our language suggests it is a vengeful god) then will we die?

Can we ever take back our language? Change it to suit our needs? They said the internet was the great democratization of language, but if that is so, I'm not sure I hate totalitarianism. No, I don't mean your opinion or your blog, U wurry to much. I miss the pen. I miss the dictionary. I worry that I might be really conservative on the inside. I am a conservative linguist who wants to be free from the constraint and bondage of the past. I am entirely honest, which means only that I can't help but be a hypocrite.

Honesty is hypocritical. Hypocrisy is the logical outcome of thought. Thought is no more logical than anything else in this world, but who said that logic was the one truth? Logic is a fallacy. Better to let go and coast. Wing it. Hypocrism is Logiscry.

Studio-bility

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:56:50 GMT

So, our super-awesome-amazing inPrint Studio website is finally up!!

If you've spoken to me at any time since I finished my degree last spring, this has probably been what is foremost on my mind. Kerpow! We're starting to get somewhere! We've been meeting, plotting, becoming a bonafide corporation and everything! We've even got a January fundraiser concert coming on up! (Don't miss it! Sweet-ass things will be raffled off including shirts by yours truly... and gift certificates to local restaurants!)

Of course, this is my livejournal that gets a whole readership of maybe, just maybe four or five people, but BE EXCITED FOR ME! BE EXCITED!

Tired, Crusty and Grumpy

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:01:59 GMT

Dear Biker on the Sidewalk:
You -thirty to forty year old jerk in average athletic condition. On bike, on sidewalk. Me -twenty-something pedestrian walking on sidewalk.
You made me jump off the sidewalk onto the road to avoid being hit by your asshole-ness.
You are more than old enough to bike on the road. If you don't feel like it, then don't fucking bike.

Dear Spread-Eagled-Legs Guys on Busy Subways and Buses:
I don't know how big you think your junk is, but it's not that big. Close your fucking legs before I kick you in between them. You're taking up two seats to house your knee-width when there are zero seats available.
I hope your wannabe masculinity remains intact when I plant my foot at a high speed in your crotch area.

Dear Leafs Fans:
I hope you lost. Not because I hate you, no. Just because there are so damn many of you clogging up Union Station.
That's despicable.

American Views on Canada

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:26:29 GMT

My Uncle sent this to me.

'Cause a lot of liberal Americans still look to us for comfort and hope, apparently:

...Sorry guys. Don't want to burst the bubble, but... we're really fucking similar. No, really.

Letters

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:03:09 GMT

Dear Non-Voters (40.9% of everyone in Canada);
You, my friends, are terrible people. I hope you're ready to eat your cake and SHUT THE FUCK UP when it's bitter. You didn't vote, so don't complain about whatever happens in the next parliament. Leave that to the rest of us. Just keep your mouth shut until the next election.
No. Not a word.
M.
P.S. Oh, yeah, no, not really wanting to hear your excuses. "Oh, my party never wins" "Oh, I'm an activist" "Oh, I was really busy". Just shut it already. And keep it shut.

Dear Stephen Harper;
Congratulations.
You have officially convinced me that, contrary to what adults tried to tell me in elementary school, the schoolyard bully always wins.
Don't look so smug. Some of us see right through your pale blue sweater vest to your robotic, evil interior. You're really just an ignorant corporate whore, so bend over and take it from your Oil Sands buddies. I heard over CBC that you're actually an asthmatic (they spent Thanksgiving Monday doing ridiculous trivia about the candidates). Well, I hope you're ready to keep a face mask on 24-7. That'd be your politics working!
M.

Dear Stephan Dion, Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton
C.C. Elizabeth May
Well, guys, even if your speeches were all pretty upbeat - you did it again. You lost to the world's biggest douche bag.
How did you do that? (This is going to sound like an after school special). You spent too much time quarreling with one another. Layton and Dion especially. You assholes. Grow up. No, don't argue, GROW UP. I'm disappointed in BOTH of you.
In the end, however, there's one campaign promise you all made, and now that there's a new government, I certainly hope you keep it. STAND UP TO STEPHEN HARPER. Because he's standing up to all four of you. And you're just twiddling your greasy thumbs.
M.

Dear Newfoundland:
Good on the ABCs. That was awesome.
M.

Dear Quebec:
Seriously, you guys RULE for being smart and not being fooled by the Conservatives. You guys are amazing. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you; Merci!!
You are the reason we're not stuck in a Conservative Majority. And for that... I love you forever.
M.
P.S. I totally support the Cubeq plan. Sounds good.

Dear most of 905 Area Code, Ontario:
You SUCK. You ignorant, gullible idiots.

Dear Alberta:
Just leave.
No. I'm not going to sugar coat this with formal language. It's time you LEAVE THE COUNTRY. Get out. You and all the bloody oil sands. Your self-obsessed economic suicide is fucking the rest of us. You think you're all great, with all your shiny new money?
Well, then, USE that money. Rid YOURSELF of poverty rather than spreading it across the country. You're economically sound! What's the problem? Oh, wait, I remember, YOU'VE GIVEN IT ALL TO THE STATES.
Oh, yeah, selling yourself bit by bit to the States? You think they're going to help you? You think they're your friends? Good luck. When over half of your best land is an oil-sand wasteland, don't come crying to Ontario. And don't blame us for your housing problems. That's your own fault. We're going laissez-faire on your ugly ass.
You're like a junkie with a gambling problem. Sure, you think you're doing well right now, but we aren't going to bail your ass out when your money runs south. You're the one who got yourself into this problem.
So. Pack your bags.
Get out.
Don't leave a note. We don't want to hear it.
Just go. OUT! OUT ALREADY.

The Coolest 8 Year Old in the World

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:19:13 GMT

I really want everyone in the world plus their auntie to watch this supercool video.

Please ignore it if I've already sent it to you.

Bill O'Reilly did a segment in response to it, where he goes on about how terribly this poor child is abused... nevermind that Disney does much worse to its child stars (c'mon, you know the ladies I'm talking about)... and hey! Nevermind that an 8 year old child just out argued him. But hells! Who needs good debating skills when you're a right-wing pundit who spews disgusting people-loathing vomit under a thin veil of "Christianity" that has more to do with Neo-Nazism than actual Christian teachings, etc, etc.

Fucking crazy Americans - sooner or later they'll realise how far down the chute they've gone... we all hope... (And here again I resort to the "us" and "them" thing that I hate... I'm such a hypocrite...)

My Big Adbuster Break-Up

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:26:53 GMT

(Am I lame enough to sit at home on Friday night and read Adbuster articles? Yes, I am)

http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html
I actually kind of enjoyed this article, although I do not, by any means, agree with everything it says. (Fuckin' hipsters).

The article states: "An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning. Not only is it unsustainable, it is suicidal. While previous youth movements have challenged the dysfunction and decadence of their elders, today we have the “hipster” – a youth subculture that mirrors the doomed shallowness of mainstream society."... and yeah, complains about the hipster.

Now, I complain about hipsters too. For a while I tried to call them "trendsters" because, well, really... most hipsters are bandwagonners and really, "hip" suggests that someone is, well... hip. But hey, about everybody else vetoed my use of the vernacular, so I lose.

This article made me laugh, mostly 'cause it reminds me of the incoherent and silly reasons why we must all hate emo kids, (and had to before "emo" was a major pop-culture genre... there was that time when we all had to use "emo" as an insult and yet no one could name an "emo" band). And then also why we must all hate the goth kids, and the punk kids, and the fuckin' hippies... It sounds like some bitter asshole who doesn't feel like s/he fits in. Hell, it sounds like me under certain circumstances.

Dear Douglas Haddow:
I know that youth trendsters are annoying. And I know that the whole of hipster-dom is some sort of huge postmodern satire... but in all honesty... what's so wrong with it? You're not hating on everyone else who buys clothing... or listens to shitty music. And believe it or not, under this thin veneer of the world of hipsters... there's a whole lotta other stuff going on in subcultures. You kind of just have to look past the trendy club spots.
Remember those conservative fuck-heads who thought that punks were a sign of the degradation of youth and lack of moral fibre in society (and thought the same of the hippies, and the same of the [egads! pre WW2!] flappers who liked jazz... You sound like an over-the-hill middle ager who is jealous of youth culture and worries about how it's destroying the fabric of the world.
GET THE FUCK OVER IT. The planet's still fucking spinning. And will continue to do so, even if the hipsters keep making shitty remixes; even if fuck-heads like Harper and McCain get into office; even if they repel all human rights to pave the way for globalization; hell, even if the imminent environmental crises kill us all through [asphyxiation on our own carbon fumes/toxicity of environment through our own habits/disease due to overpopulation/yearly "storms of the century" flooding all land/...].
I repeat GET THE FUCK OVER IT.
Thank-you.
Your article was actually really funny, but you're being a close-minded idjit.

In recent years, I've been finding more and more that I think that Adbusters has been losing a lot of the respect I used to pay it back in highschool. They're so fucking single-minded. They have good ideas, publish articles about important issues that a lot of mainstream press ignores... but then they fuck it up with some stupid "we're just as closed-minded as the guys who call us loopy liberals" bullshit.

(I just needed to get that off my chest. But hey, for all's I know, I'm a hipster... even I'm not quite cool enough to wear prescription-free glasses... and I hate the poor quality of American Apparel... and I liked tapered jeans before they were called "skinny" jeans [although, hey, my hips are maybe too big for 'em], and I want to plant a firm boot on every ass that waddles around in nothing but tights.)

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:33:27 GMT

My mom sent this to me.

In other news... today sucked balls. But I went to see an apartment. That's kind of cool, hey? No, I guess not really.

Repainting

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 17:14:29 GMT

I'm in a phase where I want to sort through everything I own and start discarding things. Things that no longer work, no longer reflect. I want to scrub everything down to its barest minimum, start over, repaint. Get back to the point.

I need a large garbage bin.

Sorting items you've owned since you were, like, five is always a somewhat spiritual event.

Most things I owned when I was five were long ago burnt up. I had no choice in that. No one really had a choice in that, except a small mouse who likely came to regret his/her decision. I took that as a good reason to pretend that I had no connection to who I was when I was five. I actually think I managed to repress a lot of my childhood memories, and then, when I found the stuff my mother kept... it was a sort of revelation, a waking up, a something. It was more intense than just not thinking about it... near the end of highschool I was deeply engaged in destroying the artifacts of my early adolescence. If there is no proof, who could say that I'm not telling the truth? Wiping parts of my life clean. Blank. Then repainting.

I convince myself that, in the end, there really is no truth, which means that history can be changed. But I'm no hollow casting. Veins, muscle, bones, skin, fat, organs, cartilage and all, I can't help but feel somewhat disgusted at my own nostalgia, and the way it paints like an old master's painting. Layer after transparent layer, I'm no master myself, I'll never learn the patience.

Monsters of Nature and Design - Destroy Two Pianos

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:34:01 GMT

I think this is f-ing awesome.

Apparently most people on YouTube are offended...

Reinhardt Reitzenstein (sp? I'm no longer sure) is scheduled to do another similar (but improved!) performance down in Buffalo on Friday. If I can manage to get there, I'm so there. First must find out if I am working.

Goodbye, Toronto!

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:34:37 GMT

Dear Toronto;

Yes, the propane explosion sucked. Yes, one person died, and a few others were injured and there may have been up to a million dollars in damages to private properties. And that sucks.

But, please, stop fucking whining.

Only one person got hurt. This is a good thing. Because more people were not injured. That makes it relatively minor.

Yeah, fears about Asbestos in the air are a little alarming. But hey, look on the bright side. Can't be any worse than the car fumes you inhale every day. So relax, and breathe deep. You're inhaling all this shit anyway. Can't help it if you want the air.

Most of all, 24News, don't fucking even suggest that a propane explosion was similar to a nuclear explosion. Yeah, I heard it... "It looked like a series of nuclear explosions". No. Seriously, no. Don't even. A nuclear explosion? Are we fucking American? Do we need to have a heart attack over nothing, just so that news buts audience ass in seats? It helped that you repeated it a few times. And said "Some residents thought it was a nuclear explosion..." WELL. If it was a nuclear explosion, would they have had the time to reflect upon said explosion? Or, maybe the terrorists invented nuclear bomb minis...?

Seriously, though, Toronto? (Or more specifically, Toronto-based-news) Shut the fuck up.

In other whiny Toronto topics... the Ontario Conservation Board wants to remember August 14th 2003 (fucking York...) by getting as many people to power down as possible in the province of Ontario. (By the way, Toronto's whiny in this case because they got their power back super-quick while the rest of us bums had to wait or deal with rolling blackouts). On the one hand, I feel like it's somewhat pretentious. On the other hand, that blackout made me so happy, I feel like giving it an aniversary, however useless in the big picture, is something that makes me happy.

Here is the webpage: www.weconserve.ca/blackout/index2.html.

Reasons I Hate America

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:20:54 GMT

Let me preface: I do not hate all Americans; I like quite a good number of Americans. Please do not be offended. I mostly disrespect the poor governance; and a few specific Yankee Doodles who are too stupid for words. Most Americans are really quite reasonable.

- God. Or, rather, the "people of god" who are so busily and constantly pushing the biblical word, but really not the biblical word that is useful and good and about actually accepting and respecting people, but the biblical word that encourages bigotry, and things like camps to "cure" gayness (exorcise yourselves, my dear LGTB friends, it will make you a good lamb again). I suppose that's not really god's fault. Then again if s/he is omnipotent, s/he is responsible, and had better have a real fuckin' good reason for these crazy bastards. (Also, Christian Gangsta Rap - it's actually too funny for me to really hate on it).
- Cigarettes and the right to use them EVERYWHERE. You know what's gross? People smoking in a restaurant. I'm a little torn about the tobacco control laws in Ontario, because I feel like smoking should still be a choice, but, man, I love smoke-free spaces. Like, dearly and totally love my oxygen minus second hand smoke.
- Bumper Stickers. Specifically the ones that say "I SUPPORT MY TROOPS WHEREVER THEY GO AND GIVE NO AID TO THE ENEMY" or other patriotic bullshit. (No, really, I'm quoting) Dear Americans: Ever wonder why the world doesn't like you? Look in a mirror sometime. Please.
- SUVs and Hummers. Fuel crisis? You must be joking.
- Detroit. Overall I don't think it's as bad as everyone says. It's just that their highway signage? Needs a little (a lot) of work. That and, yeah, it smells. Like garbage and exhaust. Other than that I won't hate it too much. I'm a fan of boarded up neighbourhoods.
- American Border Guards. How many times must you ask me if I'm sleeping with the guy in the passenger seat? Is it any of your business? 'Cause I don't the possibility of me being a terrorist can hinge on the answer to that question. Can't you just ask me if I'm smuggling a kilo of Mary Jane across?
- American Weed. Low quality skunk. I got no high and burnt out fast. And I hadn't smoked weed in over a WEEK. My tolerance was LOW.
- Food. All sugar, salt and supersized, all the time. Unless it's expensive. Oh, yeah, and veganism? In the states? Is that, like, even possible? 'Cause it seemed hard enough for a vegetarian.
- The effect that the US has on me - a desperate longing for Canada and sanity (as if the two go hand in hand) and a sudden rush of unwanted nationalism - We may not be much, but at least we're not American.
- THIS. I got it from Anastasia via Facebook, but it angers me very much. And I would like others to watch it. Spread the word y'all, spread the word.

On a brighter note, we spent a lot of time talking about which Canadian politician(s) we would sleep with.

Yeah, the options aren't really pleasing to look at (or listen to), and they're pretty much all old, gross, white men (with one exception to one word, of course). But, the question is out there now. So, which Canadian politician(s) would you sleep with? Living or dead, and no one's going to hold you to this. So, being married, engaged, dating or crushing doesn't neutralise the question. Come to terms with your discomfort and reveal the guaranteed-to-be unsatisfying answer to the world.