I have now completed my fifth year of post-secondary education. Usually at this time I'm scrambling to find some minimum wage job at a grocery check out or delivering newspapers.
But this year is different.
Knowing I'll be able to find a job next year when I finally graduate, so I'm taking some time to relax. I've planned a large balcony garden for myself, and a larger backyard garden for my parents (both edible). I'm doing a big photoshoot next weekend for my Etsy shops to start them up again. And I've been signing up to volunteer like crazy.
The next four months will probably fly by, but for the first time in years I'm going to take some time to sit back and enjoy the sun.
I've helped organize a fundraiser at Fame Nightclub for OutWords that takes place tonight, so I've got to run to get the slideshow, guest list, and door prize to them. But I'll be back with summer updates in a week or so.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Dora: An annoyingly realistic teenage girl character
Before my Reading Week break this year I ordered a stack of Chuck Palahniuk books in print and on tape. At least what I thought was a stack of Palahniuk books.
Turns out, one of the books only came up in my library search because he wrote the forward for it.
Dora: A Headcase by Lidia Yuknavitch had a place on my bed stand for a couple weeks before I decided to open it. Palahniuk gave it a good review. I love his books. Must be good. Right?
At the beginning, this spunky chick who shaved her head just for the hell of it drew me right in. She is such a different character. She has an edge many teenage girls in real life have that rarely comes out in books. She was molested by the husband of the woman who her dad is sleeping with, but instead of being crushed she lashes out. Her sharp, but cruel, wit and odd ball group of friends are highly amusing.
But as she became more outrageous, drugging her doctor, sneaking around hospitals in disguise, and intentionally making her father's mistress' children get violently ill, she started to remind me of myself at that age. Not that I did any of those things. I wasn't as loud and rebellious, although I certainly had friends who were. It reminded me of how I used to think I knew it all and couldn't learn anything from adults in my life. It reminded me of how naive and silly and mean I was. Reading the book became painful. I hated "Dora". I hated her friends. I just wanted them to stop acting so juvenile while thinking they were grown-up and stop being so damn mean to everyone. I put the book down.
But then, I started to wonder what happened? Did her doctor find out what she'd done to him and send her to prison? Did her parents discover what she'd done to her room? Did she finish her piece of art or was she somehow blackmailed or paid off to not complete it?
As much as I hated Dora, I am still glad I read the novel. It's refreshing to have a teenage girl in a novel with the same amount of anger, hurt and confusion of real life girls.
Yuknavitch, like Palahniuk, was able to provoke emotions so strong out of me I almost wanted to throw the book out the bus window. But then I'd have to pay the library back and never get to find out what happened.
Turns out, one of the books only came up in my library search because he wrote the forward for it.
Dora: A Headcase by Lidia Yuknavitch had a place on my bed stand for a couple weeks before I decided to open it. Palahniuk gave it a good review. I love his books. Must be good. Right?
At the beginning, this spunky chick who shaved her head just for the hell of it drew me right in. She is such a different character. She has an edge many teenage girls in real life have that rarely comes out in books. She was molested by the husband of the woman who her dad is sleeping with, but instead of being crushed she lashes out. Her sharp, but cruel, wit and odd ball group of friends are highly amusing.
But as she became more outrageous, drugging her doctor, sneaking around hospitals in disguise, and intentionally making her father's mistress' children get violently ill, she started to remind me of myself at that age. Not that I did any of those things. I wasn't as loud and rebellious, although I certainly had friends who were. It reminded me of how I used to think I knew it all and couldn't learn anything from adults in my life. It reminded me of how naive and silly and mean I was. Reading the book became painful. I hated "Dora". I hated her friends. I just wanted them to stop acting so juvenile while thinking they were grown-up and stop being so damn mean to everyone. I put the book down.
But then, I started to wonder what happened? Did her doctor find out what she'd done to him and send her to prison? Did her parents discover what she'd done to her room? Did she finish her piece of art or was she somehow blackmailed or paid off to not complete it?
As much as I hated Dora, I am still glad I read the novel. It's refreshing to have a teenage girl in a novel with the same amount of anger, hurt and confusion of real life girls.
Yuknavitch, like Palahniuk, was able to provoke emotions so strong out of me I almost wanted to throw the book out the bus window. But then I'd have to pay the library back and never get to find out what happened.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Buying Local
Big box stores and shopping malls may be convenient, but they harm you more than you may know.
Where the owners of a business lives is where money is spent. For example, if a store in Winnipeg is owned by someone in Ottawa, the revenue from the store would end up in Ottawa and a majority of it would be spent there. When a Winnipeg business is owned by a Winnipegger, the revenue stays in Winnipeg and is spent there.
Not only do locally owned businesses have a much larger impact on the local economy than other businesses, there are immediate benefits to shopping at small, locally owned stores for consumers as well.
Small stores specializing in one thing (i.e. vaccums) will likely have more knowledge than large stores selling many different items.
The employees in smaller businesses often know their employer and care more about how the business does. These employees will give better customer service than larger stores where the employees may not even know where the business' revenues go.
So, next time you head out shopping, look for the little locally owned shops in your neighbourhood and help boost your local economy.
Where the owners of a business lives is where money is spent. For example, if a store in Winnipeg is owned by someone in Ottawa, the revenue from the store would end up in Ottawa and a majority of it would be spent there. When a Winnipeg business is owned by a Winnipegger, the revenue stays in Winnipeg and is spent there.
Not only do locally owned businesses have a much larger impact on the local economy than other businesses, there are immediate benefits to shopping at small, locally owned stores for consumers as well.
Small stores specializing in one thing (i.e. vaccums) will likely have more knowledge than large stores selling many different items.
The employees in smaller businesses often know their employer and care more about how the business does. These employees will give better customer service than larger stores where the employees may not even know where the business' revenues go.
So, next time you head out shopping, look for the little locally owned shops in your neighbourhood and help boost your local economy.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Street Harassment
A boy in front of me on the bus tilted his head back and said, "See ya, sweetheart" as a woman was getting off.
My heart started pounding a little.
'Please let him be getting off before me, please, please, please.'
"She waved at you," his buddy said, and winked.
Yeah, right.
The comment was not a big deal, but I was freaking out. I was dreading getting off. She was bundled up in a coat with a big scarf and hat and boots, just like me. What would he say to me?
I contemplated getting off the bus later if he was still on when we reached it. How much later? One stop? Two?
I sighed in relief when he got off well before I needed to.
Sounds pretty ridiculous, huh? The worst part is that the oldest boy, the one who made the comment, couldn't have been more than 15. The younger looked closer to 12.
After they got off, I laughed at myself a little. They were just young boys, but their comments had given me a strong emotional response.
First off, I was angry. I am so sick of the way so many males think it is okay to speak to women they do not know. I am sick of being called 'sweetheart', 'babe', and 'honey' by men I've never met before. That's not my name. I don't walk around calling men these names. In fact, I don't know any women who do. Unless they're being used as endearing names by loved ones, they're demeaning.
Underneith the anger, I felt threatened. I was alone on the bus. Yes, they were young men, but the older was larger than me. There was two of them and one of me. When someone calls a woman some belittling name, it gives me a good impression of how they feel about women. The boys were young, and clearly picking up this behaviour from someone older in their lives, but it still made me feel threatened. Boys this age have been known to commit horrific acts of sexual violence. Just look at the case of the Steubenville rape.
I know, a lot of people out there probably don't understand my feelings. I've often been told that it's a compliment and I should be happy for the attention.
But a lot of people do understand, and are fighting against this kind of unwanted attention, which is referred to as street harassment. Some women have created cards they hand out to people who publicly harass them. Some cards are just a gentle reminder that you need to be mindful of how you treat people. Some are not so gentle. These campaigns have been quite successful.
Bitch magazine's winter 2013 issue (no. 57), Shannon Palus' article Card Sharp: Putting Harassment in the Penalty Box discusses harassment. She writes about a woman who started handing out cards to men who treated her in inappropriate ways and, as a result, brought enough attention to the issue that harassment policies were adopted at conferences she has handed cards out at.
Hollaback! is a global movement to end street harassment. Their website reads, "Hollaback! is a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology. Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from 'You’d look good on me' to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. But it is rarely reported, and it’s culturally accepted as ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay. At Hollaback!, we don’t buy it." Hollaback! Winnipeg just released findings of a survey that indicate that 94 per cent of self-identified females, trans and genderqueer people have experienced sexual harassment. Of the same group, 63 per cent experience street harassment at least once a month.
Catcalling may not seem like a big deal to many people, but for those who know how quickly it can escalate, even a 15 year old boy's comments can make you feel uneasy.
My heart started pounding a little.
'Please let him be getting off before me, please, please, please.'
"She waved at you," his buddy said, and winked.
Yeah, right.
The comment was not a big deal, but I was freaking out. I was dreading getting off. She was bundled up in a coat with a big scarf and hat and boots, just like me. What would he say to me?
I contemplated getting off the bus later if he was still on when we reached it. How much later? One stop? Two?
I sighed in relief when he got off well before I needed to.
Sounds pretty ridiculous, huh? The worst part is that the oldest boy, the one who made the comment, couldn't have been more than 15. The younger looked closer to 12.
After they got off, I laughed at myself a little. They were just young boys, but their comments had given me a strong emotional response.
First off, I was angry. I am so sick of the way so many males think it is okay to speak to women they do not know. I am sick of being called 'sweetheart', 'babe', and 'honey' by men I've never met before. That's not my name. I don't walk around calling men these names. In fact, I don't know any women who do. Unless they're being used as endearing names by loved ones, they're demeaning.
Underneith the anger, I felt threatened. I was alone on the bus. Yes, they were young men, but the older was larger than me. There was two of them and one of me. When someone calls a woman some belittling name, it gives me a good impression of how they feel about women. The boys were young, and clearly picking up this behaviour from someone older in their lives, but it still made me feel threatened. Boys this age have been known to commit horrific acts of sexual violence. Just look at the case of the Steubenville rape.
I know, a lot of people out there probably don't understand my feelings. I've often been told that it's a compliment and I should be happy for the attention.
But a lot of people do understand, and are fighting against this kind of unwanted attention, which is referred to as street harassment. Some women have created cards they hand out to people who publicly harass them. Some cards are just a gentle reminder that you need to be mindful of how you treat people. Some are not so gentle. These campaigns have been quite successful.
Bitch magazine's winter 2013 issue (no. 57), Shannon Palus' article Card Sharp: Putting Harassment in the Penalty Box discusses harassment. She writes about a woman who started handing out cards to men who treated her in inappropriate ways and, as a result, brought enough attention to the issue that harassment policies were adopted at conferences she has handed cards out at.
Hollaback! is a global movement to end street harassment. Their website reads, "Hollaback! is a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology. Street harassment is one of the most pervasive forms of gender-based violence and one of the least legislated against. Comments from 'You’d look good on me' to groping, flashing and assault are a daily, global reality for women and LGBTQ individuals. But it is rarely reported, and it’s culturally accepted as ‘the price you pay’ for being a woman or for being gay. At Hollaback!, we don’t buy it." Hollaback! Winnipeg just released findings of a survey that indicate that 94 per cent of self-identified females, trans and genderqueer people have experienced sexual harassment. Of the same group, 63 per cent experience street harassment at least once a month.
Catcalling may not seem like a big deal to many people, but for those who know how quickly it can escalate, even a 15 year old boy's comments can make you feel uneasy.
Monday, March 11, 2013
The Disney Princesses
Disney has 11 official Disney Princesses - Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontus, Mulan, Tiana, Rupunzel, and Merida. I have seen many feminists cringe at the mention of them and based on this did not watch them all. I finally decided to sit down and watch them for myself so I could form my own feminist opinion. I split the viewing into 3 days.
The first day I tackled Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid. And here's what I learned - boys don't like girls for what they have to say, they like girls for how they look, and vise versa. Boys are silly enough to risk their lives for pretty girls they know nothing about. I also learned that the only thing giving girls worth is a man's love and their ability to do housework. These princesses are pretty pathetic and left me rolling my eyes and groaning. Thank goodness the Disney kept making princess movies after these four.
The next Disney princess day consisted of Beauty and the Beast, Aladin, Pocahontus, and Mulan. These princesses aren't motivated by a search for true love, they're motivated by love for fathers, love for nature, and the desire for freedom. In the end, they all find the right man for them, but they also have adventures and face danger. And the love that they find is not 'love at first sight', but rather a more realistic love where two people slowly fall in love as they get to know one another. There are many problematic elements to all these movies, but a child isn't going to read too hard into them so neither will I. The lessons I got from these movies were that if you follow your heart and do the right thing then you will meet and slowly fall in love with the man of your dreams.
Next came The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Brave. The first two fit in with the last four movies - the young women are motivated by something other than the pursuit of true love, but end up finding it any how. Brave is different. Brave focuses on a young princess' relationship with her mother and how a desire to remain unwed causes tension. From it comes the lesson that true love doesn't complete a person and it's okay to not pursue relationships. Again, these movies are not perfect (in particular Disney needs to learn to deal with race better), but they add to the diversity of princess role models young girls have.
I don't know that it's possible to make a perfect, unoffensive film, and I don't expect Disney to. In its entirety, the Disney princess movie collection shows a variety of young women. The similarity between them all is that they're good at heart, do the right thing in the end, and live happily ever after as a result - and I don't think that's a horrible message to send little girls.
The first day I tackled Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid. And here's what I learned - boys don't like girls for what they have to say, they like girls for how they look, and vise versa. Boys are silly enough to risk their lives for pretty girls they know nothing about. I also learned that the only thing giving girls worth is a man's love and their ability to do housework. These princesses are pretty pathetic and left me rolling my eyes and groaning. Thank goodness the Disney kept making princess movies after these four.
The next Disney princess day consisted of Beauty and the Beast, Aladin, Pocahontus, and Mulan. These princesses aren't motivated by a search for true love, they're motivated by love for fathers, love for nature, and the desire for freedom. In the end, they all find the right man for them, but they also have adventures and face danger. And the love that they find is not 'love at first sight', but rather a more realistic love where two people slowly fall in love as they get to know one another. There are many problematic elements to all these movies, but a child isn't going to read too hard into them so neither will I. The lessons I got from these movies were that if you follow your heart and do the right thing then you will meet and slowly fall in love with the man of your dreams.
Next came The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Brave. The first two fit in with the last four movies - the young women are motivated by something other than the pursuit of true love, but end up finding it any how. Brave is different. Brave focuses on a young princess' relationship with her mother and how a desire to remain unwed causes tension. From it comes the lesson that true love doesn't complete a person and it's okay to not pursue relationships. Again, these movies are not perfect (in particular Disney needs to learn to deal with race better), but they add to the diversity of princess role models young girls have.
I don't know that it's possible to make a perfect, unoffensive film, and I don't expect Disney to. In its entirety, the Disney princess movie collection shows a variety of young women. The similarity between them all is that they're good at heart, do the right thing in the end, and live happily ever after as a result - and I don't think that's a horrible message to send little girls.
Friday, March 8, 2013
State of the City Address
"We are going through a period of renewal and revitalization. Our city is literally changing before our eyes," said Sam Katz at the annual State of the City Address earlier today.
Katz pointed to the arrival of Ikea and the creation of 2,000 new living units in downtown, as well as the renovations of the Metropolitan theatre (all happened in the past year) to illustrate how Winnipeg is becoming a more vibrant city.
As a young Winnipegger who works, goes to school, and hangs out in the city's core, I love the changes that have been happening. I have begun to feel safer in our downtown because I do see more people around. I used to be hesitant to walk from a friend's house on Broadway to my Graham Avenue bus stop alone late at night. But these days, as I am more likely to see young folks like me just trying to get home safe than people I feel are threatening my safety, I'm not too concerned.
I was happy to hear Katz say more development will be seen in the future. The city plans to speed the process for getting building inspections and permits, and make it easier for businesses to move into Winnipeg.
Revitalizing the downtown is not only good for people who like to or need to be in the area, it is also an important step in stopping urban sprawl. Many Winnipeggers I speak with (including myself) move to suburbs to get away from high levels of crime in the downtown area. By creating condos, restaurants, theatres, and other amenities in the downtown, people will be drawn to the area and crime could be pushed out, making building houses outside the city on arable land unnecessary.
However, I would have liked to have heard Katz speak about how he plans to deal with high rates of crime. Pushing it out of the downtown just means residential areas of the city will have higher crime rates. I live on the boarder of River Heights and Tuxedo. I moved there from a more centrally located apartment in West Broadway to escape the crime I heard going on outside my window at night. In the past year I have had many notices slipped under my door by the rental company warning me about car and bikes thefts, and men flashing people, all right outside my apartment. Living in an area where you worry about your safety can be very stressful, and I can't imagine the levels of stress that could be caused by living somewhere more dangerous than West Broadway.
In the coming year Katz said the city will start using a proportion of property taxes to pay for infrastructure updates, crack down on illegal dumping of garbage, and find a way to stop losing $1 million annually running golf courses.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
AdWords Lab for Class
In my Creative Communications advertising class today we discussed Google and ads. This is a class assignment for that class.
1. If I were to create an AdWords ad for my blog, these are some I would consider writing:
Like killing puppies?
Only buy shoes made by children?
Then don't click on this link
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
Everything you need
to know to live
a healthy, sustainable life!
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
Like making crafts
and eating vegan food?
Then you'll love Meg!
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
No animals were killed
in the making of this blog.
So check it out...
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
Want to live
a more sustainable life?
Meg Crane will tell you how!
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
2. Relevant keywords I would have considered using for an ad for my blog include "Creative Communications homework", "affordable vegan recipes", "easy vegan healthy recipes", "cheap vegan living", "sustainable living", "cheap healthy living", "healthy lifestyle", and "animal rights". According to the AdWords Keyword Tool search, the top eight for my blog are "weight loss diets", "how to eat healthy", "healthy recipes", "low fat recipes", "low fat diet", "recipes for healthy livings", "health recipes", "food for weight loss". This is interesting because I don't believe I have ever written about weight loss on my blog. I also don't only talk about food.
3. If I were to run this campaign I would do so in January before everyone fails to achieve their New Years resolutions of living healthier.
1. If I were to create an AdWords ad for my blog, these are some I would consider writing:
Like killing puppies?
Only buy shoes made by children?
Then don't click on this link
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
Everything you need
to know to live
a healthy, sustainable life!
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
Like making crafts
and eating vegan food?
Then you'll love Meg!
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
No animals were killed
in the making of this blog.
So check it out...
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
Want to live
a more sustainable life?
Meg Crane will tell you how!
http://megcrane.blogspot.ca/
2. Relevant keywords I would have considered using for an ad for my blog include "Creative Communications homework", "affordable vegan recipes", "easy vegan healthy recipes", "cheap vegan living", "sustainable living", "cheap healthy living", "healthy lifestyle", and "animal rights". According to the AdWords Keyword Tool search, the top eight for my blog are "weight loss diets", "how to eat healthy", "healthy recipes", "low fat recipes", "low fat diet", "recipes for healthy livings", "health recipes", "food for weight loss". This is interesting because I don't believe I have ever written about weight loss on my blog. I also don't only talk about food.
3. If I were to run this campaign I would do so in January before everyone fails to achieve their New Years resolutions of living healthier.
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