Tagged: Life
These encouraging streets
- by admin
I spotted these a few weeks ago while walking to work -they were written on the sidewalk by the Granite Curling Club between Balmoral and the Osborne Bridge and I'm totally in love with them. There's something so lovely about these impermanent encouraging messages.
TEDxManitoba
- by admin
Yesterday I had the good fortune to attend TEDxManitoba, which was held at the Tom Hendry Theater.
(also featured: my amazing Americano from Parlour Coffee, 'natch)
Of course I had to strong-arm John into being my wingman for the day.
The lineup was really stellar, but there were a few that really stood out for me:
David Gingera of CitiGrow's talk about sustainable, urban agriculture. Buying locally-grown food has become hugely important to me over the last little while, even more so since I've begun gardening through the West Broadway Community Center. It was really inspiring to hear someone be so passionate about such an important issue.
I also really loved Brian Bowman's talk about being caught in the crossfire of a gunfight in Mexico (what?!) and how it changed his outlook on life. I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been, but it was wonderful to hear how the experience shaped him, and how he used the experience to motivate himself moving forward.
Ted Geddert's performance with his son, in which he told the story of losing one of his sons at the age of 13, and how the family has coped with the loss and found hope in the aftermath. They incorporated singing as well, and it was hands-down my favourite talk of the day (I cried a little bit).
In-between talks I ate way too much (Sun Burger from The Underground Café for brunch, salad/sandwiches for lunch, pie in a mason jar and GORP bars omg) and hung around with the likes of Natalie Bell aka @pegcitylovely and we proceeded to weird everyone out in the backstage hallway.
Thank you so much to TEDxManitoba for having me out! I've loved being involved with these events so much that I'm thinking about volunteering next year (or speaking, maybe? Who knows!)
Pride 2014 was ridiculous
- by admin
as per usual, but even more so because of the presence of these fine people as well as the following:
- Whistles
- Road rockets
- Giant, walk-through colons
- Underwear Robyn dance parties
- Nip slips
- Hula hooping
- Leopard-print jean-looking tights & dress shoes
- Being spices (Oregano & Chili Flakes forever!)
- #hashtags
- Too many trips to the wine store
- Sunshine & sunburns
and so, so much more.
yr girl is a lucky lady.
I'm not the nicest girl
- by admin
in fact, most people would call me a lot of other things instead and depending on the person, circumstance and words used I might be inclined to agree with them.
I don't pretend to be anything other than what I am.
I haven't blogged at length about my breakup because while it was okay to share the life that I shared with someone else, it's not nearly as nice to share yr life when they're not really a part of it anymore.
Besides, how do you frame the process of untangling two people who spent years stitching themselves together?
Should you, even?
I don't know. I've never done this before.
Breaking up is hard. It's the hardest thing that I've ever done.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in the public drama of breaking up but at the end of the day you're just two people who loved each other once
or might still love each other but can't make it work
or just don't love each other enough anymore
or whatever
who have to try and navigate the disgusting, awful, nasty, rotten, dirty business that is breaking up.
It's awful, and I know that it's far from over.
But I'll still be here at the end of it.
I hope you will, too.
xox
yr girl Shaner
She is like a lioness and wolf all alike and she bears mighty teeth
- by admin
The title of this post is a line from the song 'Eurydice' by The Mariachi Ghost, who played an amazing (free!) show at Shannon's last Friday night.
Yes, their faces are all decorated à la Día de Muertos-style.
Yes, that's an amazingly talented dancer in the front.
Yes, you should definitely go see them.
(Obligatory food pr0n post from my brunch date with some lovely ladies on Saturday. Omg The Don's menu is amazing)
Saturday I went on the loveliest little date to Across the Board, the hippest new board game café in Winnipeg.
Not only is the decor super sharp (I love clean, white walls) but their board game selection is insane (and well-organized to boot)!
We managed to score a table right at the front by the big picture window, and as we were laying out our tiles for Forbidden Island Olaf (one of the owners) came up and introduced himself to us and took a few moments to chat about the game.
Naturally I had to throw down that I'd watched Wil Wheaton play it on Tabletop, so I think I earned myself some nerdy cred.
In the eve we caught The Xanadoods at Le Garage Café and watched the best cover of The Beastie Boy's "Intergalactic" ever. You should have been there.
Sunday was tons of rain, The Sopranos, and checking out The Grand Budapest Hotel at Grant Park Theatre.
Perfect. Weekend.
This weekend was happy, then it was sad
- by admin
which is basically how all of my days have been for the past few weeks. A roller coaster of elation and fun and then sad sad sad then good again.
Life takes some adjusting to, sometimes.
But we push ever forward (it's not like we have any choice).
Anyway.
Went for dinner at Billabong after work and had passable mussels and decent calamari and not the greatest selection of beer which led to a singular beer with dinner and then the decision to toss back a couple of road rockets with a handsome man in a back alley seemed only natural.
I managed to make it in time for my community gardening orientation which I was scared about going to because, y'know, road rockets, but there was a dude who was clearly super wasted and kept getting flak from the dude running the orientation so I felt better.
Now I'm spending time in my apartment for the first time in over two weeks which I expected to stress me out and make me feel sad but it hasn't. It's been nice to be in my own home and totally alone and sipping Brazillionaire tea from DavidsTea and to cuddle with my main kitty, Toulouse.
Even if he does ruin all my good wesside photos.
Texted my bro "happy bday dude"
- by admin
"what are you up to tonight? Want to grab a beer?"
which seemed like a perfectly reasonable request to meet me to drink beer and probably eat greasy appetizers at The Toad or maybe Cornerstone since he doesn't get out of the suburbs all that often.
Which apparently it isn't.
Later on, while on the phone with my mum and after a hilariously frustrating conversation about
how to use her call waiting
when is the appropriate time to use call waiting
(always!)
and finally
that she does in fact know how to use her call waiting but likes to be difficult
(typical Mum behaviour for which I both tease & love her endlessly)
I mentioned that I had texted my bro and she said
"oh yes, he called and mentioned that he'd seen your messages"
to which I said
"why didn't he respond to me?"
to which she said
"because you didn't ask him to call you, or to text you back"
EUGH.
Bless my family, who are permanently stuck in the Dark Ages.
Sloan was supposed to save rock music
- by admin
or so I've been told by those much wiser than myself.
'Underwhelmed' came out when I was embarrassingly young -too young to be listening to music as cool as Sloan- but it was still kicking around in the form of my friend's cd of Smeared
(a word that I didn't yet associate with gross sexual stuff, but never mind)
when I was older to start appreciating the finer things in life.
We listened to Smeared to nonstop on her boom box while sitting on her concrete front step in front of her house, which was across the street from mine.
She was a few years older than I was and spent most of our time together explaining to my juvenile self just exactly why Sloan kicked so much ass
(a word I didn't dare say anywhere but on that front step)
why Jeff Martin of The Tea Party was so sexy
(hair, voice, perfect pitch)
why the Our Lady Peace album Naveed was clearly better than Clumsy
(I don't remember this, just that their videos freaked me out)
or why Treble Charger's "Red" gets more depressing the more you listen to it
(see what I mean?)
in addition to other life lessons that, sadly, have escaped me as the years have passed.
But the important ones stuck with me, clearly.
At Thom Bargen
- by admin
It's so warm outside that the door is open, so
the shop smells like
coffee
wood
and spring.
Which is lovely.
I am here with the intention of getting
positively loopy
on caffeine
and reading
The Gone-Away World.
But am too
distracted
enthralled
and otherwise
nosy
to pay much attention to the book.
The people in the shop are as follows:
Two baristas.
The nice man with the shaved head and
kickass
ginger beard
and
the nice girl who
despite my anxiousness over the decision
nicely
helped me pick some beans to take home.
Three guys.
Discussing something I can't make out
they all have nice
red/dark brown leather wallets
splayed out on the table
between napkins and notepads
and smartphones that keep chiming.
I think they are discussing an art show.
Two girls to my right.
Talking about
travelling alone
hashtags
the rules of the road
the CBC
iPads
and boys
(of course)
Outside.
An amazing man
in a tattered pinstripe three-piece suit just walked by
wearing white wrap-around sunglasses
clearly not giving
one single fuck
just walked by
and
(obviously)
made my day.
Plus me.
Clearly
utterly
tremendously
failing
at reading my book club book.
But that's okay.
People are far more interesting anyway.
