A tragedy, but at least now something has been done.

This is my corner of the internet. I may not have any readers, but today, I'm using my little corner to ask that people with information about Ira Parmenter and his behaviour when he was the pastor of Colwood Church, to please talk to the RCMP.  This situation stirs up a lot of anger in me, and a lot of sadness, because an entire community was damaged due to the actions of a deeply trusted, even beloved, leader and role model.

I have close friends whose lives were drastically altered when they found out what Ira was doing, and have never been the same.  He hurt and took advantage of their friend, while posing as a godly leader and faithful husband. It's a sickening.  I can't even imagine what the victim herself (and other victims who have not yet come forward) is going through.

To the person who wrote this Anonymous Blog Post: ya, you are right. HUNDREDS of people were affected. And not just members of Colwood.  It was everybody, the whole community, everyone who is friends or family with members of that church.  It's like a ripple in a pond - oh wait, except that it's a goddam tidal wave.

CTV News Video

CBC News Story

Ten Months!

Claire is ten months old!  The weather was agreeable enough that we were able to do photos on the front lawn, and we even let our dog, Sierra, in on the fun.  More surprising though, for me, is that she wanted in on it.  She was very uneasy and aloof when we brought Claire home from the hospital and I watched them very carefully (I still do) during the early months, since Sierra really didn't seem to like having a baby around.

Everything changed though, when Claire started on solids and subsequently began feeding Sierra from the high chair.  Now they are best friends. :D

What Does a Year and a Half get you?

So it's been a while.

This little personal project has been waiting for me on the internet all this time, just sitting here, unchanged like a little time capsule.

Let's briefly bring this place up to speed and then I will try and discover what I want to use my little corner of the internet for.

May 26th of 2011, Dave and I welcomed our daughter Claire into the world.  She is now a very adorable and charming 9 month old, crawling, cruising, giggling baby.  Being a mom is just as terrifying as I thought it would be, but ten millions times as awesome.

This is Claire at 8 months old, enjoying a massive snowbank in our front yard.

Although it has been a year and a half since I last updated this site, that's really the only update worthy of mention.  I found out I was pregnant shortly after my last post, and it's been 'baby stuff' ever since. And probably from here on out.

I have some ideas about the direction this page will take, and I will be exploring those thoughts over the next while. We'll see where this goes, but in any event, I don't want to let this just disappear.  More to come.

Too Funny Not to Share

The story is here is that my mom got married the day this video was taken.  My whole family was in Calgary to celebrate and Tony had DD'd for us when we went to the bar two nights previous.  He had endured a lot from my family that night, but that's a story for another day.  So, when the wedding day came, we all resolved to get Tony tanked, and clearly we succeeded.  We all had an awesome time, especially Tony, and I hope he forgives me for plastering this video all over the net.

4 Years Today

Today is the day that I miss Dave the most.  Today is our 4th anniversary and the first one we have spent apart. (And hopefully the last!) I don't know how it went by so quickly, but thanks Dave for 4 fantastic years, and here's to many more!

#2 - Wide Sargasso Sea

'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys is book number two in  my quest to read 100 classic books before I die. (Clarification so that I don't look like an ignoramus: I've read lots and lots of classic books but I've made a formal commitment to myself to read 100 more.) 

Laura Fish said it best:

"Wide Sargasso Sea speaks of the history of cruelty and suffering that lies behind some of the West's accumulated wealth, a history which in Jane Eyre is secret and mysterious, and only appears in brief glimpses. This is a book that gives voice to neglected, silenced and unacknowledged stories, exploring different inflections of marginality – gender, class, race and madness. Where historical events, recorded in written discourse, have shaped the opinions of many of the people of the former British colonies and education is exclusively from a Eurocentric perspective, the recovery of "lost" histories has a crucial role to play in allowing access to events and experiences which have not previously been recorded. This idea of "writing back" by breaking down explanations for events and favouring more localised narratives and perspectives has informed my own work, especially in the voices of the former slaves in my latest novel. Wide Sargasso Sea is an inspiration. Certainly, before the phrase was coined, Jean Rhys was a post-colonial writer whose work reminds us that "there is always another side, always"."

For sage advice

I am a college student, and have been for 4 years. What's that you say? It doesn't take four years to get through a two-year program? Allow me to explain. I have a job, I own a house, I have a spouse who is also a student. So things have taken a little longer for me. I have been working part-time on two completely separate programs, both of which I will be finishing in the next year, after which I will move on to university in pursuit of a BA. Majoring in? Don't ask, I don't know.

For those of you who are or have been students, you know as well as I do that it takes a great deal of work, time, and savvy to navigate the complex inner workings of the educational system. Majors, minors, which school, how much money, electives, funding, scholarships, GPA, transferring, and eventually The Job Market. It's downright exhausting.

I have done my best to work out some of these questions, often learning the hard way. Read: Taken advice from college career counsellors only to find it's about as useful as asking a garden gnome. (With the notable exception of Holly at NWCC - thanks for all your help!)

Over my years of digging for clues about my educational path, I stumbled upon an e-book-made blog called Give Me Scholarships . Don't be fooled by the title, he delves into all subject academic and responds to the questions posed to him by actual students. The downside: it's an American guy writing a blog about the American post-secondary world, so occasionally the answers don't apply to us Canucks. Anyway, if you read this blog, and you go to school, or have a kid in school, you should check out the site.

Josh, I would say you're welcome, but the thing is, no one reads this blog, so don't expect a flood of traffic. :)

Purple and Pink and Yellow

Pretty!!!

Homesick

2010 thus far has been a year mostly consumed with planning, waiting, and tediously biding our time with one notable exception:

Dave is currently in China.

Yes, it is a rather large exception, but it does require some patience of its own, mainly the fact that I am currently in Canada.

A student of NWCC in the business administration program, Dave, along with his fellow students, were given the opportunity to take part in a 6 week cultural exchange in the city of Qingdao, on the Eastern coast of China. Several grants were made available which would cover the majority of the cost, and the exchange would provide him with 6 additional credits toward his diploma. Although we had a few hiccups along the way, it was really a no-brainer from the start.

After the initial few days of jet lag, activities and classes, I finally heard from Dave via skype, and have been keeping in touch with him that way very regularly. It hasn't been unusual for us to speak as often as twice a day, even with the 15 hour time change and his busy schedule. About a week after his arrival Dave divulged that he is rather homesick. Having visited India with a group of relative strangers, I have also felt the periodic ache for the familiarity of my homeland, and so I sagely told him that it would pass in a few days.

We are now at the halfway point, and not a day goes by that Dave doesn't fantasize about airplane seats and in-flight magazines.

This isn't to say that he isn't enjoying China. Much to the contrary. He loves his fellow Chinese students, and has been exploring as much as he can. Again, this is much the way I felt about India - it was a feast for the senses, a playground of history and cultural texture, and the people were kind, curious, and endlessly fun. But even so, I had a constant feeling almost like being trapped underwater and not being able to find the surface. Not of drowning, but just adrift where there is nothing to latch onto, anchor yourself with.

I know that once he is back, China will melt into a swirl of distant memory faster than he may realize. I also know that it will be a good memory.







Miss you too Sweetie. See you soon.

One Spring Morning

I'm in a play! Again! It's called 'One Spring Morning' by Cherie Thiessen.

See if you can figure out what happens.

























All photos by Nancy Stone-Archer.