Practicum in a Nutshell

Housekeeping: I started a Tumblr! Apparently Tumblr was so 2009 according to one of my friends, but it gives me a place where I can just dump the hundreds of pictures that I have on my computer, so it works well for me. Plus it's on my life list to have a site that I update daily. I started January 1st and I will be adding (at least) one picture everyday, guaranteed. Check it out at www.inpauseinpoise.tumblr.com.

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As most of you know I spent my last semester in my practicum teaching Gr. 3 students. It took up a lot of my time and was pretty exhausting, but also just really awesome. I got so lucky to have an incredibly positive experience where I learnt so much. I learnt that beatboxing is an incredibly effective classroom management technique, that the ‘Beaver Crawl’ works as a suitable reward incentive, and that, if you’re going to do a lesson on building your house upon the rock, you should not try and bring in the largest rock in your neighbourhood as a demonstration. My TA was relatable and insightful, the school staff was ridiculously welcoming (despite mocking me for bringing Alphagetti in a can to work on a daily basis), and the experience as a whole was really stretching. I taught a lesson in every different subject and discovered a new passion for Science, was reminded of why I love English, and maintained my general lackluster attitude towards Math. Oops. I was able to present some of my favourite camp songs to the entire student body and even got to debut my acting career in the school’s Christmas production. The production went great until I came on and realized that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what to do with my face. Amongst thoughts of remembering my next line all I could think about was: Is this how my lips normally look? Am I smiling too much? Maybe if I open my eyes wide enough people will be able to tell how into this I am. NO NOT THAT WIDE you just look creepy. Stop twitching your eyebrows frick I hope nobody can see that my ears are shaking WHY ARE MY EARS SHAKING?? (and on and on and on). Acting is not my strong suit.

BUT as any unintentionally cheesy and sincere teacher will tell you, the best part of the job is the kids. I loved working with children mostly because:

Ready for a barrage of heart-warming anecdotal quotes? Move over, Chicken Soup, you’ve got nothing on these Grade 3s. (Italics are 100% direct quotes from the kids.)

See, there are many things that I love about Gr 3 kids. At times they are filled with great insights such as “If dices were alive they would be sooo dizzy” and “Did you know that if we went to another planet WE would be the aliens?” It was always entertaining to watch them grow in awareness, witnessing the light bulbs turning on. “Orange? Why that’s my favourite colour! Why… WHY, THAT'S MY FAVOURITE TASTE!!”

Their sense of competition always intrigued me. “I’M THE FIRST PERSON WHO MADE ENOUGH SPIT FOR A BUBBLE!” one student yelled across the room in the middle of a (non-spit bubble related) LA class. Immediately a student from across the room loudly retorts “My cousin can make a bigger bubble!” Take that kid, your spit bubbles are only mediocre. Or, my personal favourite comeback, which came out during an argument about who was in line to go indoors first: “I was in line first!” “No I was!” “Do you even HAAAVE Facebook?” He’s got you there, Jimmy.

Sometimes their logic would be too sharp for their own good. I fought with a student for almost an hour once because, as he rationalized, “No one ever DIED because they didn’t use capitals!!” You think lesson planning is hard? Try convincing a defiant eight-year-old that capital letters are important.

Other times their logic was thoroughly fallible. While creating an acrostic of their names, the students were told to find letters that described themselves. One student had a ‘J’ in his name. “You could be jolly!” I recommended. “You’re just trying to trick me!” he responded, offended. “Jolly means fat!” Another student came skipping up to me, thesaurus in hand, ecstatic about finding the missing word for the letter ‘A’. “I’m aggressive!” she exclaimed, “Yaaaaaaay!”

Gr 3s are entertaining. Gr 3s in a Christian school are substantially more enjoyable. Nowhere else, when you have worn an Obi-wan costume to school for dress-up day, do you get mistaken for Jesus on multiple occasions. On another occasion, in Social class the teacher was talking about how we have freedom because of the soldiers who fought in WWI and II. The student closest to me loudly whispers, “I thought that was because of Jesus.” Or, in LA class when I’ve assigned each of the students to create a superhero that has powers and motives. In amongst the bundle of ‘Marshmallow Man’ and ‘Mr Stupidhead’ was this gem: “My superhero’s power is that he takes bad guys and puts them in jail and then tells them about Jesus. He’s called the Fisher of Men.” Take that Satan.

Their simple confusions are endearing: “Knock knock” Who’s there? “Under” Under who? “Uhhh…………. Umm knock knock who’s there UNDERWEAR!” Nailed it. Or “Is Canada the biggest country?” one student asks. “No stupid! It’s Calgary!” Almost, buddy, almost.

But most lovable is their warm and caring hearts, which come through with compliments such as “My brother Luke has humongous hairs on his arms just like you!” One student even went out of her way so that whenever my TA mentioned that I was a student teacher, she would come up to me, pat my arm consolingly and say, “You’ll get there” before returning to her desk. What’s funny is that I actually felt a little bit encouraged every time.

And sometimes when it comes to kids it’s their beautiful simplicity that gets ya. On Rememberance Day they were instructed to fill out a handout as to how the memorial service made them feel. One student succinctly wrote: “I feel sad and bad and free.” I loved it.

One of my favourite moments from my practicum is a bit longer than an anecdotal quote. There was a boy in our class who had autism and who wasn’t very comfortable with change or new people. Despite having been in the classroom for almost two weeks he wouldn't talk to me or put his hand up when I was teaching. One day, the school had a theme dress day where everyone was supposed to come as their favourite Disney character. I came as Obi-wan Kenobi (because the only better than a wicked awesome costume is a topical wicked awesome costume).

Throughout the day I noticed that this student was watching me closely, even when I was just sitting at my desk. During my lesson he put up his hand and he even came and talked to me during recess. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what had changed until his Educational Assistant informed me that he had a HUGE obsession with Star Wars and that it was all he talked about to her. He loved my costume so much that he asked to do a photo-shoot at the end of the day, so we went out into the hallway and took a bunch of pictures together. 

Every day after that, even if we don't have class together, he would make a point of coming into my classroom and giving me a high-five. What a way to brighten my day and what a great lesson on the power of finding relatable material for your students.

And the most powerful moment of the practicum came when I was not really expecting it at all. Going into it, I didn’t even know that I had the option of doing my practicum at a Christian school, but I’m so glad that I did. One example of this was in Chapel one day. It was first thing in the morning and Chapel had begun with worship. The kids were not really into it and were quite distracted (and with the young ones they couldn’t even read the words on the screen so they just stood there). Nobody was really singing along until the worship leader started playing the song 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. I was completely overwhelmed by the chorus of children that were suddenly all paying attention and singing loudly. You may have heard it before, but the song begins with the verse:

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes

Bless the Lord, O my soul O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name 

Hearing the kids sing louder than the worship leader was such a powerful experience. I understand that a lot of the kids didn’t grasp the gravity of what they are singing, but their child-like faith was so encouraging. The next verse follows describing the characteristics of God.

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find 

Again, hearing these truths being sung from the mouths of children somehow made them so much more powerful. When the final chorus came about, I could not help but be overwhelmed.

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending

Ten thousand years and then forevermore

Six months before this event my grandfather had passed away. As the children sang, my thoughts immediately turned to him. As I listened to the kids sing I began to cry. (This would have been fine except that this was actually the same day that I wore my Obi-wan costume--the last thing I wanted was for one of the students to see a great Jedi in tears :P). But one of the students did approach me after and asked why I had been crying. I thought about it and responded as truthfully as I could. I was crying because what they were singing was powerful and the way that they sang it brought a sorrowful joy to my heart. 

All I can say is kids are ridiculous and difficult and entertaining and inspiring and awesome. They definitely make me reconsider my desire to be a high school teacher.

2012 in Review - The Best Books, Movies and Music

My last post hinted that I was going to do a whole chunk of entries about Peru but this semester kind of got away on me. Once I entered my pracitcum I was often doing 16 hour work days, which, if you're good at math, doesn't leave a whole lot of time for my own writing. Thankfully I've got some time on my hands now so I'm going to spend some time reflecting on 2012. I love December because it often means summing up your year into short, concise lists. Obviously we have so much more going for us than a few bullet points to summarize a year, but it's a cool reminder to look back on. Just a few of the great moments in my life this year were:

- Becoming an uncle

- Watching my middle sister get married

- 5 Days for the Homeless

- Going to Peru and climbing the Inca Trail

- Getting to share my spoken word

- Having an amazing PS1 experience

This is less about bragging and more about reminding myself how blessed I am. There was a lot that went wrong this year as well, but a lot of things also went really right.

Books

Alright, enough with the personal stuff, let's get on with my media lists. 

In 2011 I started making a note of every book that I read in the year. I so wish that I had started doing this sooner. It's cool how looking back over a list of books can give you a reflection of the year. Each book brings with it a memory of where I was when I was reading it. Why I chose to read it, who I was reading it with, why I took so long to finish it--these all point to the parts in my year that aren't necessarily special enough to make it onto a grand list, but are still a huge portion of my life. When I first started making the list my goal was to read more books each year. I failed completely. Meh, it was worth a shot. Here are some great books that I read this year:

• Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom. When I finished this book I literally just sat on the couch and cried for a solid amount of time. It's short, simple, and powerful. Maybe it was the connection I've had in my life with people who had Lou Gehrig's disease, maybe it was because the failing health of my grandpa, maybe it was because it just reflected on humanity so well, but either way it was definitely a book that I will be going back to. I recommend it completely (K, I'm not going to say that at the end of each one seeing as I probably will recommend them all).
• In the Skin of a Lion - Michael Ondaatje. This book really turned me on to Ondaatje's writings and I recommend his stuff to any customer who comes in. Refreshing and Canadian. It's books like this that make me really lament the fact that my English class days are pretty much over. I would never have read this book if I hadn't been forced to, and I would never have appreciated it as much as I did if I had not had someone showing me how awesome it truly is.
• Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne. This is my go-to book when people are wandering in the religious section at Chapters with a wide-eyed, lost look. "Seriously, it changed my life," I tell every customer. It's hard to explain why I found it so impacting. "What's it about?" they always ask. "Welp, it's about love." Ooo, I really sell it with that line. Most of the people just stare blankly at me at that point and I don't usually end up selling it, but to the few who picked it up, I can pretty much guarantee that they loved it. If you haven't already read this book (and most have) go out and buy it right now. If I could pick one book off this list to recommend, it would be this one. (And then, if you have already read this one already, check out "7" by Jennifer Hatmaker. It's in a similar vein and, while not quite as inspiring, still one that I intend to read again and again. And if you've read that one, check out "The Man Who Quit Money" by Mark Sundeen. How I made it out of this year with out becoming a full blown hippie I will never know.)
• The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills - Chuck Bukowski. With a title like that, it's gotta be poetry. Despite my love of poetry I really don't actively seek it out because I often find myself drowning in its pretentiousness. I really liked Bukowski because his poems aren't overly cryptic or full of flamboyant narratives of rolling hills and deep oceans. His work is simple and shocking and entertaining. Kinda like Shel Silverstein for grown ups. But really not really at all.
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee. Yes, I am an English major who managed to get through his whole life without reading To Kill a Mockingbird. People who don't read a lot have read To Kill a Mockingbird. People who hate reading have read To Kill a Mockingbird. So I'm sorry, I remedied it, and I quite enjoyed it. Would I teach it in my classroom? Probably not. Would I give it to my kids to read one day? Definitely. It's got some great lessons and a good story.
• Stitches - David Small. I took a seminar in university about graphic novels and their increasing prominence in schools nowadays. I had honestly never given them much thought--I have always wanted to read Maus by Art Spiegelman but have never really gotten around to it. Stitches was one of the first 'literary graphic novels' that I have read and I loved it. It's an autobiography of a boy who had brutal parents and cancer growing up. It's certainly not the 'BANG' 'KAPOW' that you typically think of when you think comic books, but it certainly packs a punch in its own way. I bought it immediately after I was finished it and it has encouraged me to check out a slew of other literary graphic novels. Any other ones anyone would recommend? (Also, if you like Stitches, check out Blankets by Craig Thompson).

Movies 

Along with books, I always make a list of movies that impacted me throughout the year. Obviously not all these movies were released in 2012, so you're not going to be seeing a lot of them at the Oscars, but I watched them this year so they deserve to be mentioned. My top eleven are:

11. Freedom Writers - I had to make the list 11 to include this because it's so cheesy and predictable but given my desired occupation I couldn't resist.

10. American History X - After watching this I decided that Edward Norton is genuinely messed up in the head, but still it's a profound movie that anyone (with a bit of a tough stomach) should watch.

9. Sherlock Holmes 2 - My 'superhero' pick. Avengers was fantastic, Dark Knight was strong, but for some reason Sherlock stuck with me. (This might be swayed by the fact that I just watched every episode of BBC's Sherlock and am currently riding that high.)

8. Like Crazy - I didn't really like this movie, but I came away from it shaken and not okay. If a movie can cause that strong of a reaction, it must mean there's something there.

7. Blue Like Jazz - For what it was, it was amazing. It was probably the best Christian movie I've seen, which isn't saying a WHOLE lot, but it is saying something. Again, it affected me strongly, not necessarily in a this-is-the-best-movie-ever kinda way, but in the I-actually-want-to-spend-time-contemplating-my-life kinda way.

6. The Departed - Got me started on a whole mafia/gangsters kick. I love movies that make me pause halfway through and go, "Okay so he's... but then that guy... but they think... but who was... OHHHH!"

5. There Will Be Blood - I still think about this movie on a weekly basis. I love love love it and it made me want to watch every Paul Thomas Anderson film. (Punch Drunk Love should also get an honourable mention on this list too).

4. Safety Not Guaranteed - Really fun, simple, and slightly quirky. More than just your average rom com. 

3. Silver Linings Playbook - I think Bradley Cooper deserves an Oscar nom for Best Actor. He probably shouldn't win it, but he still deserves to be recognized.

2. Never Let Me Go - So unique! I have never seen a movie that I've been more thrown-off by its complete disregard for its premise. It's technically sci-fi, but it's so character driven that you kind of forget about the sci-fi -part. And it made me hate Keira Knightley less, so that's always a bonus. I wrote out a whole review immediately after watching this movie for no other reason then I wanted to sort out why I loved it so much. (Watch the movie, don't read the book). Also, it features my love Carey Mulligan, of whom I will one day convince to amicably split up from her now-husband Marcus Mumford so he can play at mine and Carey's wedding. 

1. Life of Pi - This is what a movie should be. It didn't need sex, violence, or any other cheap trick to keep it flowing. It was brilliant to witness, entertaining to watch, and inspiring to analyze. I didn't even like the book all that much but the movie made me a believer. I definitely want to see it nominated for Best Picture. As I described it on Facebook: "So Life of Pi is like Castaway meets the Discovery Channel meets Avatar. Except Tom Hanks is an Indian boy, Wilson is a tiger, and the director is on acid. I recommend it 100%"

I feel like The Master and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel should also probably find their way on to this list but I just don't know where.

This year I learnt to stop following actors and start following directors. Some actors consistently pick good roles (e.g. Philip Seymour Hoffman), but I found out that most the time, if you want consistency, you follow the director. Some that I actively sought out this year were: Paul Thomas Anderson, Darren Aronofsky, Christopher Nolan, the Coen Brothers, Roman Polanski. They've all got some really, really great stuff. I'm still learning to delve past the Golden Globes and Oscars. Does anyone have any recommendations of less popular titles/ones I didn't mention? (And don't say Les Mis, Argo, or Lincoln--I'm working on it!)

Music

And finally music! My New Years Resolution for the year 2012 was to not download a single song and, with some serious dedication, I can proudly say I reached it. Life list entry checked off! I went from getting multiple albums in a week to multiple albums in a year. And honestly, I like the change. It was a lot of pressure to keep up with all of the music I was downloading and this past year I've been able to just appreciate the music that I already have. But still I can't go completely without new music, so thank God for gifts from friends, Noisetrade, 8tracks, and good ol' youtube. From the few that I purchased, ones that I would recommend:

• Dave Siverns - Songs for Singing (If you live in Lethbridge you should already own this one)
• Alt J - An Awesome Wave (K maybe just buy 'Breezeblocks')
• Fun. - Some Nights (Don't actually buy this album. Listen to the good ones--'All Alright', 'Some Nights', 'Carry On'--on youtube over and over and that'll be enough.)
• Shane Koyczan - Shut Up and Say Something (Have I mentioned Shane Koyczan before? Well if not, get this album. Spoken word gets hazed for using music to manipulate emotions--this album does it even without the music)
• Matthew Mayfield - A Banquet for Ghosts (Free on Noisetrade. Worth checking out.)
• The Fray - Scars and Stories (If you're not a huge fan, at least check out 'Be Still', the final track)
• Keane - Strangeland (Worth buying. I had this album on repeat for a month)
• Mumford and Sons - Babel (Still not as revolutionary as ''Sigh No More'', but that's not to say it's not ridiculously awesome. I love it more and more with each listen.)
• Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal (Icelandic and fantastic. Sold.)
• John Mayer - Born and Raised (I feel compelled to buy every John Mayer album because I know that with enough hits on shuffle over the years I will probably discover that I love it.)
• David Crowder Band - Give Us Rest (Their final album. A few amazing tracks, but mostly just goodness.)
• Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires (Not quite ''Eyes Open'' but it still has a couple synth-ballads that I love oh so much)
• James Vincent McMorrow - Early in the Morning (100% recommend.)
• The Lumineers - The Lumineers (102% recommend. It's a short album but I listened to it over and over and over.)

TL;DR: Buy James Vincent McMorrow, Lumineers, Mumford and Sons, and Of Monsters and Men. Love everything else. Get mad at Sigur Ros for putting out ''Valtari'' (I love you guys, I really do, but this album was really just sounds.)

Now it's your turn! During my music "fast" I made a list of albums I want to buy/download when I have the money. Most I was interested in, but nothing quite pushed me over the edge to buy them. Would you recommend any of these guys' latest albums? Any other ones that aren't listed that you would recommend?

- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Soundtrack

- Starfield

- Gotye

- O Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack

- Train

- Hunger Games soundtrack

- Polyphonic Spree

- Ingrid Michaelson

- Like Crazy Soundtrack

- Sons & Daughters

- Hugo Soundtrack

- Rend Collective Experiment

- A Creation Liturgy - Gungor

- Regina Spektor

- Temper Trap

So there you have it. My year in a very media-focused nutshell. 2013 has been off to a great start with four (4!) things already crossed of my life list. Here's to a year of more consistent, shorter blog posts. (Ha!)

Peru Logs - Day 1

It’s midnight the night before I leave and not a single piece of clothing has found its way into my suitcase. Apparently it’s true that the habits you develop at school translate into your real life. Shoot. But hey, if I can pull an all-night writing a paper, surely I can pull one off packing.

I said a tearful goodbye to my father who was kind enough to drive me to the airport early in the morning, and then walked through the customs gate to the chiming bells of Freedom and Independence. As much as I am a sociable person, the feeling that I get when I am completely alone and in control of my every action is euphoric for me. Yes I live on my own normally, but there’s a freedom that comes with being surrounded by total strangers. I can carry my bags as goofily as I want (aka, big backpack in back, small backpack in front), I can butcher my Spanish and tell myself that I am fluent, and I can eat whatever the heck I want when I want. I can also make a fool of myself and no one would ever know (lucky for you, I also take detailed journal notes).

Got to Texas and went up to the airhostess. Checked in with my ticket. She asks for my emergency contact: “Bev. B-E-EV. Bev.” She looks at me uncomfortably. She says something with a comically thick Texan accent. I giggle. She asks why I’m giggling. I look at her uncomfortably. She processes the ticket and tells me to have a nice flight. As I walk away I say, “You too!” Karma’s a jerk.

After checking in I was told that I needed to get to another section of the airport. The information guy told me that I should take the shuttle. I laughed at the overweight Americans who need to take a shuttle and carried on my merry way down the hallway. The hallway that never ended. The hallway that took me over an HOUR to walk, luggage and all. The hallway that taught me that thinking that you’re better than other people leaves you completely exhausted and feeling like a total idiot. Life lesson there.

The never-ending hallway

I got to customs and had totally forgotten that I had just filled up my brand new filtered water bottle. Not wanting to part with it, I explained my situation to the nice customs man. “Well,” he shrugged, “looks like you’re going to have to chug it.” Terrified of being accused as a terrorist, I shrugged, open my gullet, and proceeded to chug my two-liter water bottle in front of the entire on-looking crowd. I got about halfway through before the officer informed me through muffled laughter that he had been joking and I could just pour it out on the street twenty feet away. Customs officers are jerks.

I found my seat on the plane and was finally able to relax. I could not stop smiling as the boy three seats back from me proceeded to yell, “We’re FLYYYYYINGGGG!!!” for the first ten minutes of the flight. I wanted to be annoyed with him, but I must admit that my heart was saying the same thing, and I was glad that he was voicing it. Being able to fly is just one of those things that I really hope to never take for granted.

On the plane from San Salvador to Peru the airhostesses spoke only Spanish. For my first meal in Spanish I proudly ordered chicken and Sprite. I got pasta and Ginger Ale. Not exactly a promising start. The guy beside me informed me all about the benefits of horticulture (specifically weed) and actually spent over an hour going over the biological and chemical efforts that go into making the perfect kind of weed. I will never know as much about weed as I did during that flight. On this flight I also learnt that the seats in front of the emergency exit legally cannot recline. And that when the person in front of those seats reclines their seat, trying to watch an in-flight movie is like watching a movie at the Imax. My neck hurt just from trying to see everything that was going on in my four by three-inch screen.

To my joyous relief I arrived in Lima at 2am, bags and all, and looked for the man who I’d arranged to bring me to my hostel. I saw a sign that says, “Maicol Willems”. Considering our only interactions had been by email—where I had typed my name out—I’m reaaally not sure how he managed to screw up Michael but get Willems. But hey, pronouncing Ma-e-cole in my head made me laugh (and became my nickname later on in the trip). I bartered with him before getting in (successful tourist!) and even managed to keep my bags with me, as the tour book had instructed me to never put my bags in the trunk (double success!). I was feeling very proud of myself and my safe taxiing techniques until we got halfway to the hostel and flashing lights turned on behind us. Nothing like getting pulled over by the police after being in a country for less than 20 minutes. I’m not really sure what was said but the driver didn’t look particularly happy afterward and I didn’t want to ask in my terribly broken Spanish. How I imagined the conversation going:

Michael: Sir, is everything ok?

Taxi Man: Long and impassioned response in Spanish that either explains he’s an ex-convict, that he now has to pay $4000 to the Peruvian government, or that the Police Officer was simply just a friend of his.

Michael: …Si.

So I stayed quiet. He was listening to a Christian sermon though, so I asked him if he was a Christian and he said yes. This brought me great comfort at the time (though I did find out afterwards that 90% of Peruvians consider themselves Catholic sooo it wasn’t exactly what you would consider a ‘chance encounter’).

I finally got to my hostel and a cute old Peruvian lady came up to me and welcomed me, then informed me that there was “un poco problemo”: the elevator was broken. “Oh, no problemo!” I youthfully retort. (Sidenote: actually saying no problemo in its proper context is super weird after saying it ironically your entire life.) You can probably see where this is going as, over thirty flights of stairs later with all of my luggage, there was definitely un poco problemo. BUT I made it, gasping and panting, to my little one-bed room that had an amazing view overlooking all of Lima.

I gratefully took the key from my new Peruvian friend and dumped my bags. To the bathroom to freshen up! A sign informs me that the door doesn’t close properly. To the sink to quench my thirst! A sign reminds me that the water is not sanitary in Peru and should never be consumed. To the toilet! A sign informs me that in Peru, toilet paper is never flushed, but placed in the garbage can beside the toilet.

Ah yes. So this is traveling. So this is love. Let the adventures begin.

The view

Holy Crap Guys I'm In My Senior Year of University That's Super Weird

I'm back!

It's been far too long but this hiatus was definitely necessary. For the first time in my university career I actually care about my classes, being in Ed and all, so the amount of effort that I have to put into them has increased exponentially. School's actually really hard when you actually do all the assignments/readings. Who knew?

My Peru journals are slowly coming along; I wanted to make sure that I had more than one finished before I started posting them. But we're not quite there yet. First, random stories of my life:

·      "No, it appears that 'Deeper in You' is not in yet, but we have two copies of 'Pleasures of the Night', five copies of 'Lustfully Ever After', and three copies of 'Hot in Handcuffs'." How I manage to keep a straight face during these conversations is far beyond me. My job is entertaining. (And yes, those are all legitimate titles.)

·      My mother is notoriously bad at segues. I always laugh at how she tries so hard to connect things that really have nothing in common. Today, I was talking with a friend and we had been joking around for a while. He was shocked that I was in Education because he’d never heard me talk about it. I replied, “Well, cat’s out of the bag! Surprise!” He laughed and then replied very sombrely, “Speaking of coming out of the bag, my cousin came out as gay today.” Apparently my mother’s not the only one who sucks at segues.

·      My other friend and I have the same type of phone which are notoriously bad for sending half messages and cut up texts. My phone has ripped my texts in half and sent half of mine and half of someone else's. This is all well and good until it starts mixing my texts with people who are speaking in French, or worse, sexting. Some awkward explaining occurred there. Anyway, my friend and I were complaining about how terrible our phones are and I, indulging my poetic self, texted: “Broken people and broken phones saying broken things with broken bones. Even in an age of technological connection, we are victims of autonomous dissection.” The text she received was “Broken people . . . broken bones MESSAGE BROKEN: (autonomous dissection).” I’ve now concluded my phone is sentient and trying to kill me.

So that’s pretty much my life right now. Well really not at all. But anyway, the reason for this post is that I want to show off some more spoken word artists. Shane Koyczan (pronounced Koyzan, not Koyksdsdfsan, as I once thought) is a Canadian spoken word artist who was born in the Yukon but moved to BC. Most of you will probably recognize him since he was the poet laureate who spoke at the Olympics (really big guy with a deep, booming voice). The poem that he did at the Olympics is probably my least favourite of his, but man alive can this guy write. Seriously, his stuff blows me away in ways that nothing ever has before. That’s not even a hyperbole—I have actually sat listening to his clips on youtube for hours with my jaw just on the floor. I won’t amp him up too much, but just know that I am driving five hours out of my city to see him live next month.

Here’s one of my favourite clips by him. Note: It does contain some adult language. Also note: don’t listen to it half-heartedly, that’s just a waste of time. Listen to it intentionally.

How this video only has 15,000 hits is beyond me. I had to listen to it every night for two weeks before I was able to start taking in everything he says.

Spoken Word - Taylor Mali

Ha! Remember that time where I said I was going to be doing a lot more writing? As in my last post? Well it turns out that I need assigned essays to procrastinate from in order to do my own writing. Whenever I'm school I dream of having all the time in the world to sit down and do my own writing, and now that I have that time, I don't do it at all. The brain is a cruel thing, my friends. I just need friends to start assigning me essays so that I can work on other stuff while feeling guilty about not doing the essays. It's a flawless concept, really.

In the meantime, I promised some other spoken words, so I ought to deliver. This one is a classic. It's by Taylor Mali, the guy I mentioned a little while back, and should be listened to by anyone who is interested in teaching, is a teacher, or has been taught. (Hint: that includes everybody.)

One of my favourite Mali lines of all time is:

"When she was in my eyes I fantasized and everything else became a blur.
I wanted to abandon my Bachelors in English for a Masters degree in her."


Classic.

Life List Update

Now that summer classes are officially over, I have a glorious amount of time on my hands. As in, I read 4 books in the last 8 days. On weeks where I don't have any assigned reading I'm like a racehorse bursting out of a starting gate. That is, if the starting gate were a book. And the race was a relaxing evening with a blanket and tea. Then it's a perfect simile. With all this time, I will be writing a bunch more blogs, which is something that I look forward to. The best advice I keep reminding myself is that "A good writer writes. A good writer writes." Simple as that. As I write more for this blog, I also organize it more. I've collected a whole handful more of experiences for my life list--my ever-growing, sentient list. Here they are: (the bolded ones are ones that I've already done--my list serves as a challenge and as a reminder.)

Work on a house with Habitat for Humanity
Learn and perform the Thriller dance
Read everything by Ralph Waldo Emerson (How am I a fourth year university student and never read anything by him before?!?)
Attend a large music festival such as Lollapalooza/Coachella/Sasquatch
Memorize USA state geography
Watch the Cirque de Soliel perform
Go around the world and find my own personal 7 wonders
Meet Sol
Memorize the flag for every country
Start a compost
Go white water rafting
Get a Eurorail pass
Ride in a hot air balloon
Get in a fight (I just finished Fight Club. Sue me.) (Do people still use the term "sue me?" Is that still a thing?)
Catch someone reading a book I wrote
Climb the Grand Canyon
Throw a surprise party for someone
Graffiti something
Start a dance in a public place
Be in a parade
Take in and appreciate a busker
Be a completely different person in a different city
Help someone cross something off their own life list
Be on tv, a magazine, the front page of a newspaper
Kill something and eat it
Make a list of everything I own
Have something/someone named after me
Pay for someone's groceries
Actually make a tangible New Year's resolution and keep it

And two more that are a little more dear to my heart:
1. Give a TED talk. The second this came into my mind my heart started racing. I have spent countless hours being inspired by different TED talks, and it would be a serious achievement if I could every cross this off. Some of the things on my list I take more seriously than others (as in, if I died before memorizing the US state geography I wouldn't need to come back as a ghost to avenge myself). Not to say that if I die before doing a TED talk I would be disappointed, it would just be really really cool, that's all.

2. Perform a spoken word poem in front of a large audience. The reason why this is dear to my heart is because a) it achieves my childhood dream of making poetry cool again and b) I'm crossing it off today! Well sort of. I showed my pastor my video from the last post and he said that he wanted to include it in a Sunday service. A part of me really wanted to do it live, but I'm still really jazzed about getting the to opportunity to show it for all 3 services this Sunday. While I'm not sure whether I can technically cross this one off as I'm not performing it live, it's still right up there. I hope that this is a day that I can look back on as the first of many opportunities like this.

(Fun fact: I didn't realize it at the time, but my last blog post was my 150th post, as well as my 10,000th view. Considering how long I waited to post it, it's cool that it just worked out like that. Coincidences are fun! Also side note, if you have a blog/tumblr/whatever they've come out with now, could you link to my video? I'm still working on getting it out there and the more links there are to it, the higher up it goes on Google search-- this is the one thing that I learnt in Computer Science 1000.)

Day 5 - I Feel the Need to Apologize

So today's an exciting day for me. Instead of talking more about creativity, I want to finally reveal a project I've been working on for a while.

When I did 5 Days for the Homeless, I had planned on getting insane amounts of reading and writing done. Turns out, boxes are not conducive to comfortable reading times, mostly they're for curling up in a ball and attempting to sleep. BUT I did manage to scratch out a page or two of my thoughts. I've had a lot going on over the past couple of months and it was nice to spew out all my ideas in one sitting.

Once I finished 5 Days I immediately went home and turned those pages into some spoken word poetry. I have been really interested in spoken word for a long time now and have only just begun to realize how truly passionate I am about it. I will be posting some of my favourite poets in the future. (Side note: At one point I even became Facebook friends with Taylor Mali--a fairly well-known spoken word poet--but then I realized that he didn't have very many friends, so I just felt kind of creepy and de-friended him. It was awkward.)

Soon after I wrote the poem, my friend Amara told me that she had access to a recording studio at Lethbridge College. Sweet! It turns out that recording yourself speaking for 3 straight hours is an enlightening and unnerving experience. I have spent many hours during the editing of this project debating over whether or not I have a speech impediment. :/

THEN I went home and spent the next week working on a combination of sound editing, accompaniment editing, video recording, splicing, and more editing. I used a very, um, MacGyver-esque tripod (piano stool, bar stool, books, mirror, camera, and lamp)

and then spent a whole lot of time staring at this:

I used many different programs and even spent an entire day attempting to learn the whole of Adobe After Effects in one day, but it turns out it's just a ridiculously complicated program.

Then, fear hit. Confession time: I finished this project in totality back in March--and I was so excited and immediately wanted to put it up--but then I started thinking about how many hits it would get. Then I started thinking about what would happen if people don't like it. Then I started thinking about how it has to be absolutely perfect and I can't release it unless I am 100% satisfied with it. Well, turns out, I need to get over myself.

1. I am not 100% satisfied with it. Am I proud of it? Yes. Will I ever be completely satisfied with it? No. Over the course of working on it I have learnt that perfectionism is just a disguise for fear.

2. It's not about me. It's not about whether my voice sounds funny or the graphics aren't perfect. It's not about whether each rhyme is perfect. There's a lot of truth in this project and I want to share it with people because I wholeheartedly believe in everything that is said. As anyone who works in ministry can tell you, it's not about how many people you reach, it's about making an impact on the ones that you do.

So without further ado, I present: "I Feel the Need to Apologize": (If it's too small you can get a better size with the link below the video.)

I would really love if you could share this video with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever because, like I said, there's a lot of truth in it. Here is the youtube link to just copy and paste: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOUocB4Jvm4.