Blog

Blog

The Tin Forest – neighbourly love

In early March I received a friendly email from my domain neighbours, The Tin Forest. The Marketing & Press Officer for the National Theatre of Scotland wanted to let me know that the company is putting on a large scale participatory arts project called The Tin Forest, which is part of the Cultural Programme of […]

Canadian pride & the great political swindle

It’s been just over a week now since the Olympics have wrapped up. I can’t say I tracked the event with any sort of commitment but do admit a love of speed skating of any sort and usually make an effort to watch these events plus women’s hockey whenever I can. I can certainly appreciate […]

Rust in peace, return to the earth

In the Ardennes region of Belgium, there lies a traffic jam of forest cars. They are cars abandoned by American troops at the end of World War II as they left Europe for home. Decades later, photographers have captured elegiac photos of the cars merging with nature and returning to the earth. Photo source: Matthias […]

Shuttered

Over the past few months, a cascade of local businesses have closed down on Main Street. The reason? Escalating rents and real estate prices. Some established gems have been shuttered. What amazes me most about the changes I see is the businesses that are moving in to replace the stand-bys…Cafe Montmarte replaced by the Shameful […]

I walked with a zombie…

Lately I’ve been curious about the prevalence of zombies in popular culture – they shuffle through music, movies, comics, TV shows. Recent TV shows like The Walking Dead and blockbuster movies like World War Z have brought zombies into the collective consciousness. World War Z is also a best-selling book by Max Brooks that is […]

I love to read

Indeed, I do love to read. Anything…fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biography, autobiography, short stories, magazines, graffiti, academic papers, recipes, diaries, love notes. For years I have kept track of what I’ve read via various written lists in the back of day planners and journals. Most recently, I’ve moved my list to private Google doc. In this […]

Walk for Reconciliation – Sept 22nd, 2013

Walk for Reconciliation – photo by kele Thousands came out in the rain to walk for reconciliation on Saturday; joined with the common goal to move through our shared history and come to grips with the abuse of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It was a moving finale of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s events on […]

Gold rush trail

Summer adventures in along BC’s Gold Rush Trail were truly inspiring. Breathtaking beauty, haunted landscapes, written & unwritten history, invisible allegories, tales of colonialism. All of it so educational. We visited Wells, Barkerville, Fort St. James & many other places. We drove for over a thousand miles and many, many hours & only made it […]

End of year check-in

As I cast back through the past year and take stock of where I’ve been and what I’ve done over the past 12 months, I remember a post I wrote a couple of months back. In that post, i created a list of activities and pursuits that I missed and what to remind myself of. […]

Beyond the blue box

On the third Saturday of every month a recycling depot is set up in the parking lot of the Britannia Community Centre off Commercial Drive. It’s called Beyond the Blue Box (BTBB) and they take many of the waste items (with the exception of compost) I typically throw in the garbage. I started collecting recyclables […]

These are some things I miss…

As life gets busy and I get swept up in the ebb and flow of various projects & distractions, I took some time out to reflect on some things that I miss doing. My goal for the next year? Carve out time for these things that give me life and hope and a sense of […]

Indigenous trail & wagon road

A relatively new public art project in Vancouver caught my attention over the long weekend. To commemorate Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary, the City of Vancouver commissioned Emily Carr graduate and local artist Sonny Assu to design this street marker that was installed along both sides of Kingsway from Main Street to Boundary Road. The signs merges […]

Fine tuning

My pursuit of a musical life has led to years of striving to strike that elusive balance between necessity and passion. I can say that this balancing act has not been easy nor do I feel very adept at it most of the time. Often, I find myself swept up in the busy-ness of my […]

Ghostly walks & exploring Vancouver’s history

Spent a good chunk of a dazzling spring day wandering through the grave stones at Vancouver’s Mountain View Cemetery . We followed a self-guided walking tour on the smart phone that led us through the Fields of Honour, the Chinese section, the Infant Areas, the Firefighters section, the Japanese section, and the Fraternal Groups (Masons, […]

Time marches on

It has been over a year since I’ve mused in these pages. I’ve certainly shared micro-thoughts via Twitter and have written long form in my writing books but no web musings until today. I find myself in the midst of spring blossoms and gentle days, all the promise of the flourishing season. I’m reminded though […]

Springtime in Vancouver

Aaahhh, breathe in deeply the soft moist air of the temperate rainforest. A hint of cherry blossoms and a dash of salt tickle my nose. When the sun shines, my eyes are amazed by the croci standing at attention and boasting their bright colours. Yesterday, I went for a long walk in the neighbourhood. I […]

Curling 101

I went curling for the first time this weekend. A curling lesson and party for a friend’s birthday. What fun! There were 8 of us divided into 2 teams of 4. We were introduced to the rules of the rink, a new lexicon and the basics by the keeper of the Marpole Curling Club. He […]

Happy St. Paddy’s Day

Had my first authentic St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the Irish Heather earlier this evening. Delicious meal of potato leek soup, salmon with turnips and 2 blacks (Guinness with black currant syrup – delicious!), pipe band, crowds and festive singing. Yes, I do I have some Irish in my background, but it took me this […]

Social media & freedom of expression

A couple of weeks back I read Wired Magazine’s article titled “The Web is Dead.” After reading the article, I was convinced that apps were a curse to the freedom of expression and experience on the internet & we all needed to re-embrace the eloquence of hypertext. With the recent events in Egypt and the […]

Freshkills Park

How can this… …become this? Yup, there is a 30-year plan in the works to transform Staten Island’s Freshkills landfill site into a massive parkland. The park, once completed, will encompass a total of 5 parks and will be 3 times the size of New York City’s Central Park. It will also be the largest […]

The web isn’t dead!

Ok, first off I know I’m way behind the curve. This article came out almost 6 months ago but I just read it this weekend. So, the argument is that the web is dead because it has been colonized (in the words of the authors) by a few entrepreneurial dictators. They argue that the rise […]

The 3P concept

CDBaby pushes out regular posts to subscribers called “DIY Musician.” The articles are full of great ideas from folks who are slogging away as indie artists. One that caught my attention recently was on a concept the writer, Chris R., calls “3P” – a sensible way to break down the recording of a full-length project […]

Would love to do a farm apprenticeship

One of my fave vendors at the Vancouver Farmer’s Market is offering 3-month paid apprenticeships on their farm. Klipper’s Organics is a family farm located in the Similkameen Valley…one of my cherished places on this planet. They have implemented the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model and also engage in WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic […]

Ignite Mentorships @ The Cultch

This is a very cool program…Local artists mentor local youth on what it takes to build a career in the arts. The artist roster is extensive and impressive, ranging from songwriting, dance, playwriting, directing and spoken word. Wonderful to see 3 impressive local songwriters/composers taking part in this program…Veda Hille, Tyler Bancroft (Said the Whale) […]