With the election coming up, I have decided to be a responsible citizen and read about all the party platforms and to genuinely consider the pros and cons of each. I encourage everyone to do the same because it's our civil duty to learn about what is going on in the politics of our country. People all over the world would literally kill to have to opportunity to vote so it's not something that can be taken lightly.
So in my due diligence, I went to the 3 main party website: www.conservative.ca, www.liberal.ca and www.ndp.ca in order to check out what all these old farts are talking about in terms of bettering my country in their respectful opinions.
The Conservative party page seemed to be a whole lot of hot air really. A large ambiguous list of vague goals and ideals is found under their platform. I found that most things on the list lacked direction and were simply statements of how to treat Canadians which are inarguable points considering most people can agree about freedom of speech and religion and worship and the like. So already we are looking productive on the Tory front...
I feel Steven Harper has kinda fumbled the ball on this whole federal budget thing; I tried reading up on this topic but I got bored. Before I quit reading I came to the conclusion that the general consensus is that Steve screwed the pooch on this one. Having been found in contempt of parliament, he lacks my confidence as well as the confidence of the house apparently. Failing to disclose a large portion of the allocated funds and poor allocation of the funds that were disclosed is pretty shady but I'm sure Harper will stand by his "I am not a crook" philosophy. The point is: this whole fiasco has shaken my confidence and has caused me to look elsewhere for vote possibilities.
The NDP party's platform on their website was severely lacking and quite uninformative. 4 sets of 2 sentences is hardly a platform but apparently they find it sufficient to inform their followers. Sounds a bit like blind faith to me. Seems like they don't have a lot to stand on but are merely there as a back-up for the Liberals, like a little brother in a fight who actually wouldn't last 2 minutes in the first round on their own. Or like a dog chasing a car, they wouldn't know what to do with it even if they caught it.
Ahhh the Liberals. Their platform portion of their website was the only one that was at all comprehensive. They had plenty of information, so much that it was divided into tabs and subsections! Their IT staff must have really exercised their skills to set up those links. But really, they were the only ones who seemed to have real ideas and a general direction in terms of goals and progression for Canada. Who knows if they would actually DO something about those policies after being hypothetically elected but I guess that's the whole fun of this political gambling game.
That's all well and good to know about what the party wants but that is only part of this whole political race. The other part is about who will be the face of Canada. Steve Harper is losing votes by the minute, every time someone reads an article about this whole budget blunder and seems to be a lot shadier than originally suspected, even for a politician.
Jack Layton is the only candidate that I actually like as a person, he won my respect when he appeared on MuchMusic in his campaign for the last federal election while none of the other PM candidates bothered to show up so that proved to me that at least he acknowledges the young adult vote. All the charm in the world is not going to bulk up your party with substance.
Throughout my research, I have found myself inclined to vote Liberal except for the fact that I cannot STAND Michael Ignatieff. He seems like the greasiest, slimiest politician you could find and they chose to put him as the face. He has a smug and arrogant look about him in every picture or commercial or interview I see him in. I don't like his attitude and the air about him; he seems to be doing this as a hobby and not because he genuinely cares about the Canadian public but is more so in it for self-interest. He sounds to me like a pot stirrer with his whole coalition government threat which is an unheard of notion in the Canadian government. Just because it is technically within the realm of possibility in parliament, does not mean you should do it. It causes me to wonder about his motivations and to speculate about what other radical political movements he could possibly pursue if given the authority to do so. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's probably a duck; if it looks like a pedofile and talks like a politician, it's probably Michael Ignatieff.
I think one of the big reasons Barack Obama was voted into office was because he inspired people. He made people care about politics again and he made them believe that they were significant. Although he seems to be lacking in terms of fulfilling promises but what politician actually does what they say they will do? That seems to be a concept too radical for even politics. At least Obama showed people he had passion and showed the power of a shared vision.
We need more people who are passionate and can inspire that passion in others, we need people who actually CARE and who make politics come alive. Without this democracy, we would be nothing. Too many people seem to be complacent about this whole process, both on the side of the voters and the side of the politicians.
So it boils down to this: who do you vote for when no one seems worth voting for?
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Monday 21 March 2011
The Story of a Girl
Once upon a time, I had no desire for any kind of serious relationship; I thought boyfriends and marriage were for squares (and they still are to some extent).
THEN I moved to Lethbridge and something was waiting for me that I did not take into account...
I met Brett playing volleyball with the YSA like they do every Tuesday and Thursday night. I was "dating" someone else at the time (dating being an extremely loose term; a 5 day shelf life is hardly a relationship) but he was in Calgary for a bit. Brett and some other people around and I would just joke on the sidelines and whatever and talk about who knows what. Somehow we got talking about longboarding and how I love it but don't have a board and he said he has 2 and that I should go longboarding with him and his friend Steve the next day. So we did.
Longboarding was super fun, I am not very good compared to Brett and Steve but it was fun and casual and we went back and played cards with Steve and his roommates. (Yes I was the only girl and yes it was a little awkward).
So my pathetic excuse for a boyfriend comes back after a few days (after hardly talking to me at all) and he breaks up with me but still wants me to hang around that night and watch Nacho Libre (GREAT film by the way, I highly recommend it.). So I did, feeling PAINFULLY awkward but Brett was there on the other side of the room and we would make jokes and laugh from all the way across the room because we are cool like that.
Not wanting to get a ride home with my now ex-lame-ass-boyfriend, I asked Brett for a ride home and talked with him a little about how I was feeling. Over the next little while we would text and hang out and be cool and whatever and I would still complain about the douche who dumped me like a chump and Brett sent me a text that really caught me off-guard. It talked about how I would always say I am tired of boys who are pansies and incapable of having competent relationships and he said "You always say you don't want somebody who is afraid. Well, I'm right here."
WOW. Wow. I did not expect that kind of honesty. Especially considering I had noooo intention of having anything more than a friendship with him (and we were the bestest of friends), I did not have those kinds of feelings for him and I told him that and that I did not want a relationship. I just wanted to "do me" (shout out to Jersey Shore for the terminology) and have fun being single in a new city and stuff.
So we continued to hang out, Brett and Dallas and I, and we decided to make a spur of the moment roadtrip to Kelowna to go to the beach and pick up the rest of my things from home. My mom talked to me while the boys were outside/away from the conversation and said "....you do know Brett likes you right?" to which I replied "UGH! I know. I wish he would just....be...REGULAR and stop it." That's a direct quote.
So the next while passed, about 2 months, and we got closer and closer and it was as though we were dating without officially dating. I didn't want to date him because I didn't feel 100% invested in the romantic relationship and he deserved a girlfriend who was completely into it. I told him I didn't see this relationship lasting or going anywhere (HA! joke's on me now...stupid Allison...) especially because he was moving to Edmonton for work so duh I'm not gonna sacrifice everything for a long distance relationship that I am not invested in.
Brett came down from Edmonton for Thanksgiving weekend and since I was not able to go home, I went with him to his family's Thanksgiving in Raymond and it was lovely. When we got back to my house in Lethbridge and he was about to leave to go back to Edmonton, we were hugging and kissing goodbye (yes we kissed while we weren't dating. I'm probably going to hell, I know.) and he started to tear up and I was like what the heck is going on? He said some really nice things about how badly he wanted a relationship with me and he was willing to do whatever it takes to make it work because he just wanted to be with me. I told him I would think about it.
I was going up to Edmonton that following weekend with Alaya French, my homie (literally, I lived at her house), and I had decided I was going to tell him no but the more I convinced myself to say no, the more I felt I should say yes...
So I told him all my reservations and how I felt and was completely honest from the beginning and decided that he deserves for me to give it a real good try before writing him off. I had told my roommate Kiera that I would genuinely give it my all until around Christmas and if I still felt it wasn't going anywhere then I would break up with him after that.
So we started dating and things went great. We went back to Kelowna for a fun roadtrip and things were great. Brett drove down every weekend except the one right before the Kelowna trip. I found myself missing him more and more and was surprised how much he was putting into this relationship; it made me feel really good.
December rolls around and I had the thought of "what if we were to get engaged?" and then proceeded to laugh at myself and shake off that ridiculous notion. Then one day we were just chillin' on the couch in his parents' basement and talking about how I didn't want him to leave and he said "how would you feel if I never had to leave you again? Forever?" and I told him "I don't think I can answer that right now. That's not a fair question." and we proceeded to talk about it and I guess by the end of the conversation we had decided we were going to get married (though I'm not sure how we came to that decision haha...ha...).
It was really hard not telling people we were going to get married for the couple weeks before he actually proposed. I let it slip a few times to a few people because I am a terrible secret keeper :} oops.
The day of the proposal was December 11th (exactly 2 months after that fateful Thanksgiving day, about 4.5 months of being best friends). On this day in history, I was in La Senza buying bras ( I know you wanted to know that) and Brett was out doing whatever (HE WAS GETTING THE RING! which I kind of knew but didn't really know. We had picked one out earlier so he knew which one to buy.)
We decided we were going to go talk to our old friend Jack Stone (he is 60+ years old and is Brett's best friend for real) and we stopped at Brett's friend Andrew's house who is Jack's son in law who happens to be Brett's best friend of 20 years, no big deal. We tell him we are headed to Jack's and Andrew follows behind us.
I sit in the kitchen with Jack's wife Janice and their daughter Candace who is Andrew's wife and we are just talking about whatever while Jack and Brett wander off which is typical of those two. Jack asked Brett to help him set up lights in the backyard on their stone archway (HA. funny joke because it's out of bricks and their last name is Stone....haha....? Nevermind.) which I thought nothing of because they are best friends and always talk and chum it up and whatever.
So they come back in the house after a while and Jack says "Brett you should take Allison to go see the lights" and RIGHT then I knew it was going to happen so I am trying not to smile or shake out of anticipation and they give me a coat to wear because I didn't bring one because I wasn't planning on going outside to be proposed to.
So we trudge through snow literally up to my knees through the whole backyard because it's so convenient and warm out. Not. There is a single strand of red lights along the arch (it actually looks pretty lame) and we walk to the other side of the arch and there is a bin of chocolates from Jack and we eat one and I say "okay I'm freezing can we go back now?" because I love to unintentionally ruin the moment. Brett walks me to the other side of the arch and the lights are bunched together in the form of a bouquet with cotton stuffed in it and the ring on top of it.
He took my hand and knelt down and asked me to marry him and I said yes! And the rest is soon to be history :)
The more I thought about the idea of marrying him and the more I allowed myself to be able to just love him and get out of my own way, the better I felt and the stronger the feelings got and I feel it is the best choice of my life (which is interesting considering the other choices I have made over the course of my days haha). but seriously, he is more than I ever could have asked for. He is such a sweetheart and so cute and kind and patient. He never worries and I worry enough for the both of us. He is my best friend and my everything and I just love him and can't wait to be with him forever.
Okay I had to do at least ONE cheesy post so there you go.
THEN I moved to Lethbridge and something was waiting for me that I did not take into account...
I met Brett playing volleyball with the YSA like they do every Tuesday and Thursday night. I was "dating" someone else at the time (dating being an extremely loose term; a 5 day shelf life is hardly a relationship) but he was in Calgary for a bit. Brett and some other people around and I would just joke on the sidelines and whatever and talk about who knows what. Somehow we got talking about longboarding and how I love it but don't have a board and he said he has 2 and that I should go longboarding with him and his friend Steve the next day. So we did.
Longboarding was super fun, I am not very good compared to Brett and Steve but it was fun and casual and we went back and played cards with Steve and his roommates. (Yes I was the only girl and yes it was a little awkward).
So my pathetic excuse for a boyfriend comes back after a few days (after hardly talking to me at all) and he breaks up with me but still wants me to hang around that night and watch Nacho Libre (GREAT film by the way, I highly recommend it.). So I did, feeling PAINFULLY awkward but Brett was there on the other side of the room and we would make jokes and laugh from all the way across the room because we are cool like that.
Not wanting to get a ride home with my now ex-lame-ass-boyfriend, I asked Brett for a ride home and talked with him a little about how I was feeling. Over the next little while we would text and hang out and be cool and whatever and I would still complain about the douche who dumped me like a chump and Brett sent me a text that really caught me off-guard. It talked about how I would always say I am tired of boys who are pansies and incapable of having competent relationships and he said "You always say you don't want somebody who is afraid. Well, I'm right here."
WOW. Wow. I did not expect that kind of honesty. Especially considering I had noooo intention of having anything more than a friendship with him (and we were the bestest of friends), I did not have those kinds of feelings for him and I told him that and that I did not want a relationship. I just wanted to "do me" (shout out to Jersey Shore for the terminology) and have fun being single in a new city and stuff.
So we continued to hang out, Brett and Dallas and I, and we decided to make a spur of the moment roadtrip to Kelowna to go to the beach and pick up the rest of my things from home. My mom talked to me while the boys were outside/away from the conversation and said "....you do know Brett likes you right?" to which I replied "UGH! I know. I wish he would just....be...REGULAR and stop it." That's a direct quote.
So the next while passed, about 2 months, and we got closer and closer and it was as though we were dating without officially dating. I didn't want to date him because I didn't feel 100% invested in the romantic relationship and he deserved a girlfriend who was completely into it. I told him I didn't see this relationship lasting or going anywhere (HA! joke's on me now...stupid Allison...) especially because he was moving to Edmonton for work so duh I'm not gonna sacrifice everything for a long distance relationship that I am not invested in.
Brett came down from Edmonton for Thanksgiving weekend and since I was not able to go home, I went with him to his family's Thanksgiving in Raymond and it was lovely. When we got back to my house in Lethbridge and he was about to leave to go back to Edmonton, we were hugging and kissing goodbye (yes we kissed while we weren't dating. I'm probably going to hell, I know.) and he started to tear up and I was like what the heck is going on? He said some really nice things about how badly he wanted a relationship with me and he was willing to do whatever it takes to make it work because he just wanted to be with me. I told him I would think about it.
I was going up to Edmonton that following weekend with Alaya French, my homie (literally, I lived at her house), and I had decided I was going to tell him no but the more I convinced myself to say no, the more I felt I should say yes...
So I told him all my reservations and how I felt and was completely honest from the beginning and decided that he deserves for me to give it a real good try before writing him off. I had told my roommate Kiera that I would genuinely give it my all until around Christmas and if I still felt it wasn't going anywhere then I would break up with him after that.
So we started dating and things went great. We went back to Kelowna for a fun roadtrip and things were great. Brett drove down every weekend except the one right before the Kelowna trip. I found myself missing him more and more and was surprised how much he was putting into this relationship; it made me feel really good.
December rolls around and I had the thought of "what if we were to get engaged?" and then proceeded to laugh at myself and shake off that ridiculous notion. Then one day we were just chillin' on the couch in his parents' basement and talking about how I didn't want him to leave and he said "how would you feel if I never had to leave you again? Forever?" and I told him "I don't think I can answer that right now. That's not a fair question." and we proceeded to talk about it and I guess by the end of the conversation we had decided we were going to get married (though I'm not sure how we came to that decision haha...ha...).
It was really hard not telling people we were going to get married for the couple weeks before he actually proposed. I let it slip a few times to a few people because I am a terrible secret keeper :} oops.
The day of the proposal was December 11th (exactly 2 months after that fateful Thanksgiving day, about 4.5 months of being best friends). On this day in history, I was in La Senza buying bras ( I know you wanted to know that) and Brett was out doing whatever (HE WAS GETTING THE RING! which I kind of knew but didn't really know. We had picked one out earlier so he knew which one to buy.)
We decided we were going to go talk to our old friend Jack Stone (he is 60+ years old and is Brett's best friend for real) and we stopped at Brett's friend Andrew's house who is Jack's son in law who happens to be Brett's best friend of 20 years, no big deal. We tell him we are headed to Jack's and Andrew follows behind us.
I sit in the kitchen with Jack's wife Janice and their daughter Candace who is Andrew's wife and we are just talking about whatever while Jack and Brett wander off which is typical of those two. Jack asked Brett to help him set up lights in the backyard on their stone archway (HA. funny joke because it's out of bricks and their last name is Stone....haha....? Nevermind.) which I thought nothing of because they are best friends and always talk and chum it up and whatever.
So they come back in the house after a while and Jack says "Brett you should take Allison to go see the lights" and RIGHT then I knew it was going to happen so I am trying not to smile or shake out of anticipation and they give me a coat to wear because I didn't bring one because I wasn't planning on going outside to be proposed to.
So we trudge through snow literally up to my knees through the whole backyard because it's so convenient and warm out. Not. There is a single strand of red lights along the arch (it actually looks pretty lame) and we walk to the other side of the arch and there is a bin of chocolates from Jack and we eat one and I say "okay I'm freezing can we go back now?" because I love to unintentionally ruin the moment. Brett walks me to the other side of the arch and the lights are bunched together in the form of a bouquet with cotton stuffed in it and the ring on top of it.
He took my hand and knelt down and asked me to marry him and I said yes! And the rest is soon to be history :)
The more I thought about the idea of marrying him and the more I allowed myself to be able to just love him and get out of my own way, the better I felt and the stronger the feelings got and I feel it is the best choice of my life (which is interesting considering the other choices I have made over the course of my days haha). but seriously, he is more than I ever could have asked for. He is such a sweetheart and so cute and kind and patient. He never worries and I worry enough for the both of us. He is my best friend and my everything and I just love him and can't wait to be with him forever.
Okay I had to do at least ONE cheesy post so there you go.
Tuesday 8 March 2011
That Don't Impress Me Much
The artwork at my school falls under one of 3 categories, all of which are not very good:
- abstract
- pornography
- abstract pornography
It seems like it's a game to see what new pieces of offensive artwork you are going to find on the 8th floor of the Fine Arts building while you are on your way to class. This is the 3rd "exhibition" I guess we can call it of offensive and pornographic artwork displays that I have noticed this year, actually this semester it just started. In reaction to the first display, many LDS students signed a petition to remove the artwork and relocate it to a private spot within the Fine Arts department, away from being in plain view of the entire student body.
You would think that would be the end of it. False. There has been 2 other displays since then that are equally as obsene as the first. I am baffled as to why they continue to put up these pieces even after many responses of disgust were put forth from the student body. There is nothing artistic about drawing penises and buttholes and taking pictures of people with large blowup penises and happy expressions on their faces. What a way to celebrate International Women's Day. Really classy kids, really classy.
What in heaven's name do you hope to achieve by putting up displays like that? You want attention? CLEARLY. Clearly no one was thinking about what those pictures are actually saying about the people in them. Contrary to the image of being liberal, non-conformist, stick-it-to-the-man badass, don't care what other people say hipsters, you actually look ridiculous. What are you going to say when 30 years down the road, your kids see those pictures? Can you show those pictures to your grandmother? You think you are making such a big statement about society but really you are making a bigger statement about yourself that you have no class and no respect for yourself or for other people.
If you want to express yourself through art and choose to do things like that, that is your choice but do not push that onto the unwilling public. I do not pay through the nose to go to school to see a huge penis in my face as I am trying to get to class. Take that offensive material somewhere else because nobody wants to see it. GROW UP. Drawing penises isn't funny anymore.
- abstract
- pornography
- abstract pornography
It seems like it's a game to see what new pieces of offensive artwork you are going to find on the 8th floor of the Fine Arts building while you are on your way to class. This is the 3rd "exhibition" I guess we can call it of offensive and pornographic artwork displays that I have noticed this year, actually this semester it just started. In reaction to the first display, many LDS students signed a petition to remove the artwork and relocate it to a private spot within the Fine Arts department, away from being in plain view of the entire student body.
You would think that would be the end of it. False. There has been 2 other displays since then that are equally as obsene as the first. I am baffled as to why they continue to put up these pieces even after many responses of disgust were put forth from the student body. There is nothing artistic about drawing penises and buttholes and taking pictures of people with large blowup penises and happy expressions on their faces. What a way to celebrate International Women's Day. Really classy kids, really classy.
What in heaven's name do you hope to achieve by putting up displays like that? You want attention? CLEARLY. Clearly no one was thinking about what those pictures are actually saying about the people in them. Contrary to the image of being liberal, non-conformist, stick-it-to-the-man badass, don't care what other people say hipsters, you actually look ridiculous. What are you going to say when 30 years down the road, your kids see those pictures? Can you show those pictures to your grandmother? You think you are making such a big statement about society but really you are making a bigger statement about yourself that you have no class and no respect for yourself or for other people.
If you want to express yourself through art and choose to do things like that, that is your choice but do not push that onto the unwilling public. I do not pay through the nose to go to school to see a huge penis in my face as I am trying to get to class. Take that offensive material somewhere else because nobody wants to see it. GROW UP. Drawing penises isn't funny anymore.
Ceci n'est pas un blog.
So this is supposed to be a "blog" of some sort.
Why did I start a blog? It seemed like a good idea at the time. I feel I have some things to say that are worth listening to. Also I enjoy a good bandwagon ride every now and again. I am a little upset that iamawesome.blogspot.com was taken by a little 15 year old girl from New Jersey. Rude.
I feel like this blog will at times be very profound and insightful and at other times be very sarcastic and irreverent. I mean irrelevant. I really have no vision for this blog other than one of occasionally saying something worthwhile to whomever decides they have nothing better to do than to read my awesome blog. Sometimes there will be a specific purpose and topic for posts while other times posts will have nothing to do with anything. The latter style of posts may or may not be more amusing, depending on who's reading it. Example: this post.
Allison 101: Crash Course
- I am awesome.
The End.
Allison 102: A Little More In Depth (but not too deep. that's what she said.)
I like to think about bigger concepts and ideas and universal themes. Even though in real life I tend to be very random and I like to be goofy and amusing, many people are surprised at the wealth of wisdom and knowledge and advice I have. Contrary to the blonde hair stereotype, I am actually really smart. I can't do math to save my life but I am good with words and language and eloquently expressing myself. If I could be paid to give my advice and my opinion, that would be my ideal job. Actually I want to be paid to sing but that won't happen so I'm going to school because I enjoy inflicting pain on myself apparently.
So I suppose this blog will be a lot of my opinions about whatever I hear or see is going on and feel the need to comment. I promise not to be lame.
Also I will come up with a catchphrase but I don't have one yet.
Why did I start a blog? It seemed like a good idea at the time. I feel I have some things to say that are worth listening to. Also I enjoy a good bandwagon ride every now and again. I am a little upset that iamawesome.blogspot.com was taken by a little 15 year old girl from New Jersey. Rude.
I feel like this blog will at times be very profound and insightful and at other times be very sarcastic and irreverent. I mean irrelevant. I really have no vision for this blog other than one of occasionally saying something worthwhile to whomever decides they have nothing better to do than to read my awesome blog. Sometimes there will be a specific purpose and topic for posts while other times posts will have nothing to do with anything. The latter style of posts may or may not be more amusing, depending on who's reading it. Example: this post.
Allison 101: Crash Course
- I am awesome.
The End.
Allison 102: A Little More In Depth (but not too deep. that's what she said.)
I like to think about bigger concepts and ideas and universal themes. Even though in real life I tend to be very random and I like to be goofy and amusing, many people are surprised at the wealth of wisdom and knowledge and advice I have. Contrary to the blonde hair stereotype, I am actually really smart. I can't do math to save my life but I am good with words and language and eloquently expressing myself. If I could be paid to give my advice and my opinion, that would be my ideal job. Actually I want to be paid to sing but that won't happen so I'm going to school because I enjoy inflicting pain on myself apparently.
So I suppose this blog will be a lot of my opinions about whatever I hear or see is going on and feel the need to comment. I promise not to be lame.
Also I will come up with a catchphrase but I don't have one yet.
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